Suradjin Sutjipto

Suradjin Sutjipto received his master’s degree in Earthquake Engineering from the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) in 1990. He completed his work under the guidance of world-renowned professors Gary C. Hart and Robert E. Englekirk.

According to his professors, as a straight-A graduate from UCLA, Suradjin was inquisitive and sought an in-depth understanding of not only technical material but also design procedures and philosophy. He possesses an excellent technical understanding of both reinforced concrete and structural steel. Professor Kenneth B. Bondy, a member of the ACI Committee 318, stated that Suradjin was possibly the best graduate student he had ever taught at UCLA.

Suradjin Sutjipto has developed his career by combining both practical and academic professions. As a practicing engineer, he has designed several notable projects not only in Indonesia but also in California (USA), Taiwan, Malaysia, and Australia. He is a licensed Professional Structural Engineer. As a lecturer, he has been teaching various design classes in the Civil Engineering Department at Trisakti University and Tarumanagara University for more than 35 years.

Suradjin's practical experience began in 1989 when he joined Robert Englekirk Consulting Structural Engineers, Inc. (REI), one of the largest and most respected structural engineering firms in the United States. There, he developed the design for a 60-story steel building in Taiwan. The environmental conditions required the building to withstand strong earthquakes and typhoons. The resulting bracing system incorporated eccentrically braced frames, stabilizing trusses, and composite columns.

Due to his ability to complete design work quickly and accurately, Suradjin earned the nickname "boy wonder" from his colleagues at REI. He finished the pricing packages for the structural design of a 40-story reinforced concrete building in just 4 days and a 45-story steel building in 5 days, assisted by only 2 engineers and 4 draftsmen. That 40-story reinforced concrete building became the tallest concrete building in Southern California in the early 1990s.

With his innovative concepts, Suradjin has designed several prestigious high-rise projects in Jakarta, including Gandaria City, a mixed-use superblock project, in an economical manner without sacrificing architectural requirements. A combination of ductile cantilever shear walls, coupled shear walls, and moment-resisting frames was used as the lateral-resisting system.

The Four Seasons Regent Residences Apartments is another example of his creative and progressive design. Two of the towers, each 42 stories high, were designed with a hybrid structural system, incorporating a steel truss outrigger system within a reinforced concrete lateral-resisting system. Due to the irregular layout of the structural system, complex transition joint details were developed using a 3D CAD system to ensure constructibility.

Nevertheless, Suradjin's practical experience is not limited to high-rise building systems. He has also designed post-tensioned floor slabs, mat foundations, shoring systems for deep basements, and components for many low-rise buildings. For the Twink Center Office Building, he specifically designed a precast pre-tensioned double T-beam, resulting in a light and economical structure.

In addition to his expertise in structural design, Suradjin frequently conducts structural assessments for various types of buildings, including high-rise, low-rise, heritage, and industrial structures. These assessments are carried out for purposes such as post-earthquake inspections, SLF (Certificate of Occupancy) evaluations, and other specialized requirements. Moreover, his advanced skills in designing retrofitting and strengthening solutions have consistently proven to be highly efficient and effective, ensuring structural integrity without compromising the buildings' aesthetics.

Throughout his career, Suradjin has authored over 50 technical papers and research reports on earthquake engineering, reinforced concrete structures, steel structures, and various building assessments, which were presented at national and international seminars. His paper, Ductile Eccentrically Braced Frames - Behavior State Analysis, won the UCLA Structural Response to Ground Motion Award in 1989.

Suradjin has also developed numerous structural computer programs for both commercial and in-house use. At the request of Professor Mario Paz, he contributed a chapter on Indonesia for the International Handbook of Earthquake Engineering, which includes an interactive computer program called INSEC.

During the 1990s, he served as a guest lecturer for nearly 10 years in the International Advanced Course on Earthquake Disaster Prevention for Building Engineers, a joint program of the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) and Puslitbang Pemukiman.

Suradjin is a member of several professional organizations, including the American Concrete Institute (ACI), American Institute of Steel Construction (AISC), Earthquake Engineering Research Institute (EERI), International Code Council (ICC), Himpunan Ahli Konstruksi Indonesia (HAKI), Asosiasi Ahli Rekayasa Gempa Indonesia (AARGI), Indonesian Society of Steel Construction (ISSC), Persatuan Insinyur Indonesia (PII), and Perkumpulan Ahli Pengkaji Teknis Indonesia (PAPTI). He is also a member of the Tim Profesi Ahli (TPA), tasked with reviewing the structural design of buildings in West Jakarta.

As part of his service to the nation, Suradjin has been a member of the Indonesian Seismic Code, Loading Code, Concrete Code, and Structural Steel Code committees since 1998. In recognition of his significant contributions to the development of the Indonesian National Standard (SNI) for building construction codes, he received the prestigious Herudi Technical Committee Award from Badan Standardisasi Nasional (BSN) in 2011 and 2014.