SEMARANG The Faculty of Engineering at Universitas Islam Sultan Agung (UNISSULA) Semarang held a public lecture entitled The Future of Earthquake-Friendly Buildings: Transforming Earthquake-Resistant Structural Design toward Quantitative Monitoring and Evaluation on Wednesday, 3 September 2026. The hybrid event featured structural engineering expert Prof. Dr. Ir. Buntara Sthenly Gan from Nihon University, Japan, as the keynote speaker.
The event, moderated by Muhamad Rusli Ahyar, S.T., M.Eng., was officially opened by the Dean of the UNISSULA Faculty of Engineering, Dr. Abdul Rochim, S.T., M.T. In his remarks, the Dean expressed his appreciation to Prof. Buntara for sharing his knowledge with the academic community, noting that Indonesia and Japan are both located in earthquake-prone areas along the Ring of Fire and have archipelagic characteristics.
In his presentation, Prof. Buntara highlighted an important shift in perspective from merely being earthquake resistant to being earthquake friendly. Conventional planning has often focused primarily on structural strength under static conditions, which can make buildings uneconomical or cause occupants to experience stronger shaking.
We need to add the concepts of comfort and vibration control. Earthquake shaking cannot simply be resisted; it must be measured and controlled quantitatively, Prof. Buntara told hundreds of UNISSULA Civil Engineering students and lecturers.
He further introduced QSEERB (Quantitative Shaking Evaluation for Earthquake-Resilient Buildings) and Neuro-Seismo Intensity Level, a quantitative vibration evaluation method that measures three-dimensional acceleration along the X, Y, and Z axes on every floor of a building. The system is intended to provide a more objective assessment than conventional methods based on visual observations, such as cracks or tilting, after an earthquake.
The technology can be applied broadly, from planning, design, construction, and structural strengthening to real-time 24-hour building health monitoring and post-disaster forensic analysis. Prof. Buntara is also developing innovative research that connects earthquake shaking intensity with human brain-wave responses in order to establish more accurate evacuation standards.
The public lecture received an enthusiastic response, as shown by the interactive discussion involving the Vice Dean, Head of the Civil Engineering Master's Program Prof. Dr. Ir. Antonius, M.T., IPU., as well as lecturers and students. Through this activity, the UNISSULA academic community is expected to expand its research insight and inspire students to explore disaster mitigation and earthquake-resistant buildings in their final projects.
Source video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yeM0YtRBcck
