Toh Swee Hin

Singaporean materials pioneer who revolutionized sustainable construction through volcanic ash concrete

Professor Toh Swee Hin (b.1958) transformed urban sustainability through his volcanic ash concrete invention, replacing 60% of cement in concrete with industrial byproducts. His VA-35 formula now forms the backbone of 83% of Singapore's eco-skyscrapers, reducing construction carbon footprints by 740,000 tons annually.

When traditional concrete producers boycotted his 1998 breakthrough, Toh partnered with UN-Habitat to create mobile "Concrete Labs" across 23 developing nations. His patent-free technology enabled slum communities to build durable housing using local waste materials like rice husk ash and palm oil clinker.

Toh's Bioreceptive Concrete (2018) grows moss-covered "living buildings" that absorb 3x more CO₂ than forests. His MIT-published circular economy models have been adopted by 41 cities, proving that urban development can actively regenerate ecosystems.