Home > About John Prewer

Professional Experience

John was described as a Mastermind of architecture in the Building Design magazine ('Meet the Masterminds: the ten leading minds whose breakthroughs have transformed British architecture'). For more than 35 years John has specialised in the design, development and application of offsite building methods in the UK and abroad. John pioneered modular (volumetric) construction in the UK in the mid 1970s and spent most of his professional life working on the design, development, manufacture and application of modular building methods and related technologies. He trained as an architect in the 1960s and met Buckminster Fuller who has profoundly influenced his work and who he remained in contact with until Buckminster died.

John Prewer in London with Sir John Whitmore and Tell Muenzing

Sustainable Systems

John specialises in the design and development of environmentally sustainable manufactured building systems, building materials, and components. His design/inventing activities are grouped under 5 headings - ENERGY, FOOD, INFORMATION, SHELTER and TRANSPORT and centre on the need to develop primary life support technologies that 'will make the world work for 100% of humanity in the shortest possible time without ecological offence or disadvantage of anyone'. He is currently developing two types of low cost modular housing for high density urban applications, and co-authoring a book about recent developments in science and technology and how their potentially revolutionary impact makes it possible for mankind to live in harmony with the world's ecosystems - due for publication Autumn 2008 - provisional title 'Oblivion or Utopia?'

He is a member of the Royal Institute of British Architects' (RIBA's) Building Futures advisory group, Member of the Royal Institution, and has recently been nominated for election as Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts.

Architecture Consultancy and Design

For various companies he held position as Architectural, Design and Technical Director, and was tutor and external examiner at the Architectural Association school of architecture. John has acted as architect and/or modular building systems consultant to many companies and organisations in the UK and abroad, including The Ministry of Health, The Bank of Mexico, Hilton International, Holiday Inns (Mexico), Quality Inns (USA), Sheraton Town and Country [USA], Forte Hotels, NASA [Houston], the BBC, Heathrow Terminal 5, McDonald's, Microsoft (Seattle, USA), Taylor Woodrow Engineering Ltd, The Joseph Rowntree Foundation, GE Capital Services, The UK Round Table on Sustainable Development, Gazeley Properties Ltd.

Articles and Writing

John is writing and publishing on his subjects widely, and his work has frequently featured in the media, including professional journals, and TV programmes in the UK and abroad.