Ashwa Nova

Abhimanyu Goel and Aakanksha Jain

Abhimanyu Goel is a Senior Research Associate and Architect at the National University of Singapore whose work bridges architecture, materials science, and circular design to advance low carbon and climate resilient urban systems. A graduate of NUS’s Masters of Integrated Sustainable Design in 2015, he focuses on transforming biomass and industrial waste such as rice husk, sawdust, and biochar into high performance construction materials that embed carbon sequestration within architectural and infrastructural systems. Under the CREATE E2S2 programme from 2019 to 2022, he advanced biochar concrete and low carbon mix designs that were cited by the Prime Minister’s Office through the National Research Foundation in 2021 among notable sustainability research efforts. From 2023 to the present, he has collaborated with Nobel Laureate Professor Konstantin Novoselov and the Institute for Functional Intelligent Materials to develop graphene and biochar enhanced concrete systems inspired by natural microstructures, which were showcased at the Venice Architecture Biennale 2025 and later at Singapore Design Week 2025, positioning Singapore’s material innovation research within a global architectural discourse. In 2024, his team received the top jury award in the University of Oxford Smith School and United Kingdom CO2RE Capturing Greenhouse Gas Removal Image Competition for research demonstrating carbon capturing biochar concrete tested in aquatic environments to support biodiversity. In 2025, he was part of the collaboration recognised with the Institution of Engineering and Technology Engineers in Society Award in the Sustainability and Climate Change category for impactful work with Chiang Mai University and Siam Cement Group on low carbon concrete and asphalt solutions addressing climate responsive infrastructure. Between 2019 and 2022, he partnered with Gardens by the Bay to repurpose biochar into façade grade and non structural composites, translating laboratory research into visible urban applications. From 2023 to 2024, he contributed to architectural heritage conservation at the Baba House Museum through high resolution 3D scanning and additive manufacturing, demonstrating how digital fabrication can support cultural preservation in dense urban contexts. At the neighbourhood scale, he co led a community driven construction 3D printing initiative with the Holland Bukit Panjang Town Council, developing modular vertical urban farming systems that increased cultivable area by three hundred percent while integrating recycled aggregates and participatory design processes aligned with Singapore’s thirty by thirty food resilience strategy; the project was presented in 2026 at the Singapore Scientific Conference where it was selected as one of the top poster presentations. Beyond academia, he co founded MODESI Chocolates, a design driven venture integrating architecture, digital fabrication, and heritage storytelling through material exploration, and was recognised among the National Youth Council NDP Top 100 Entrepreneurs under 35. Across peer reviewed publications, international exhibitions, industry recognised awards, community implementation, and entrepreneurial practice, his work consistently bridges the gap between academic research and real world application, advancing applied material innovation that informs planning, governance, infrastructure durability, and urban liveability in cities facing climate and resource constraints.