ITB Students Win 1st Place in National Concrete Competition 2025 Through Innovative Ceramic Waste Concrete
By Arif Hermawan - Mahasiswa Teknik Sipil, 2021
Editor M. Naufal Hafizh, S.S.
BALI, itb.ac.id – Three students from the Civil Engineering Program, Class of 2023, at the Faculty of Civil and Environmental Engineering (FCEE), Institut Teknologi Bandung (ITB), have achieved a remarkable accomplishment on the national stage. The team El Hormigon, consisting of Sandra Regina Tambun, Razan Aisyrinata, and Barra Fatta Abdullah, secured 1st place in the National Concrete Competition 2025.
The competition, organized by Udayana University, was attended by 40 teams from various universities across Indonesia. From these 40 teams, the top five advanced to the final round in Bali.
In this competition, El Hormigon addressed the issue of construction waste, which currently lacks specific processing regulations in Indonesia. Through comprehensive research and a Multi-Criteria Decision Making (MCDM) approach using the Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP) and TOPSIS methods, the ITB team identified ceramic waste as the optimal substitute material for their innovative concrete.
"The basis (of our project) is that infrastructure development in Indonesia is currently massive, but construction waste management remains inadequate. We explored the best alternative materials, and ceramic waste proved to be the most optimal substitute," explained Razan.
The ITB team's excellence was evident during the concrete compression test in the final round, as El Hormigon was the only team to achieve the targeted design strength. This success was the result of meticulous planning, from logistics in transporting the concrete from Bandung to Bali, practicing concrete capping techniques, to minimizing errors during testing.
"We carefully considered everything, from logistics to capping test preparations. Even during the compression test, our concrete was among the strongest—its fragments scattered in all directions upon breaking," said Barra.
The team's journey was not without challenges. During the preliminary round, a misreading of the absorption test led to an overly wet concrete mixture. This experience taught them the importance of data validation. Additionally, the team learned that field conditions often differ from the idealized scenarios studied in classrooms.
Sandra hopes their experience will inspire other students to participate in competitions without hesitation. "Competitions are exciting and full of valuable lessons. Give it your all—your efforts will pay off. Most importantly, stay motivated, and don’t forget to proudly represent ITB’s Civil Engineering Student Association (HMS ITB)!" she said.
This achievement was made possible with the guidance of Patria Kusumaningrum, S.T., Ph.D., who supported the team throughout their preparations. It is hoped that this success will encourage ITB Civil Engineering students to continue innovating in sustainable and eco-friendly materials.
Reporter: Arif Hermawan (Civil Engineering, 2021)
Translator: Dina Avanza Mardiana (Microbiology, 2022)
