Baraga and ACE teams from the Department of Civil Engineering ITS displaying their model bridge

ITS Campus, ITS News — Students of Institut Teknologi Sepuluh Nopember (ITS) made more brilliant achievements in the construction field. The Baraga and ACE Team from the Department of Civil Engineering ITS have conquered two achievements of the 12th Civil in Action event at the Sustainable Bridge Competition 2024 sub-competition, organized by Universitas Gadjah Mada.

Team Baraga’s bridge named Citta Logawa achieved the first place in the competition. One of the team members, Moch Choirul Akbar Majid (Akbar), explained that the name was taken from the Old Sundanese Language. The word Citta means hope and Logawa means strong. “This bridge is made from a strong hope that it can become a sustainable public infrastructure,” he explained.

Akbar revealed that the bridge design requested in this competition was a bridge with a single arch type. This model has never existed in Indonesia because its shape concerns architectural aspects and strength. Considering this, his team used steel material with ASTM A36 grade to make a four-meter long bridge model and BJ-51 grade steel for the 100-meter bridge design. This bridge model tends to have a large torque or moment of force on the arch. For this reason, the bridge uses a cable configuration that collects in the middle so that the force distribution is evenly distributed when given a load. The bridge assembly uses the scaffolding method for the four-meter model bridge and the full cantilever method on the 100-meter bridge design that adjusts the current and depth of the river.

The ACE team while working on Kriya Nusantara model

ITS Baraga team also won an award at the Best Presentation category which presented sustainable aspects in the use of environmental friendly materials, as well as renewable energy sources from solar panels. “Another advantage of our bridge is the use of artificial intelligence in its remote sensors to monitor the sturdiness of the bridge structure,” he added.

At the same sub-competition, ITS ACE Team won the third place with a bridge design named Kriya Nusantara. Kriya means work, and Nusantara is the new capital city of Indonesia. From the name, the bridge design is expected to represent young people’s work for the Capital City of Nusantara (IKN).

One of the ACE team members, Athallah Rafi, revealed that his bridge design is inspired by the Hulme Arch Bridge in Manchester, England. To highlight the national identity, the bridge’s arc was also designed using red and white colors, and the bridge’s floor girder was given a gold color to symbolize the glory days of IKN and Indonesia. “We also combine batik ornaments and Dayak shields, so it was chosen to win the Best Beautiful Bridge category award,” he explained.

ITS Baraga team while working on the bridge frame at the Sustainable Bridge Competition 2024

The bridge was designed by the three pillars of sustainable development: social, environmental, and economic. From a social perspective, the bridge is designed as a landmark and new mobility access for the IKN community. In the financial aspect, the bridge uses an efficient configuration to minimize the material costs incurred and can stand firm for a long time.

Moreover, the bridge also excels in the environmental aspect by innovating fly ash as a substitute for concrete to reduce carbon emissions generated during construction. Besides, the bridge has an Early Warning System feature called Kriya Siaga that can detect earthquakes, floods, and other natural disasters to close bridge access until safe conditions.

Finally, both teams hope that this single-arch bridge can begin to be applied in Indonesia. The application of this bridge design, especially in metropolitan cities, is considered to add futuristic value to the town. “In addition, we also want to work better in the future so that we can consistently make ITS proud,” concluded Athallah hopefully. (ITS Public Relations)

Reporter: A. Rifda Yuni Artika
Translator: Lael Soebakir