John Allegretti
FAIA, LEED AP
For over 30 years, John Allegretti has been principal architect for over five-hundred projects across the United States and Internationally. Our practice promotes professional excellence of affordable and sustainable residential designs. John's designs are regularly published and distributed world-wide by the home publications industry.
As an activist, John's work has balanced pragmatic issues of program affordability and responsible community planning without forsaking quality, sustainability or craftsmanship.
Through the personal mentorship of E. Fay Jones, FAIA, and the experience of serving in the Peace Corp for three years in Samoa, John developed his passion for architecture and architecture's ability to improve quality of life. During the past fifteen years he has designed for Habitat for Humanity, renovated a HUD community center and developed the first private housing in over 40 years for Benton Harbor, Michigan. Most recently as a consequence of riots in Benton Harbor, John has designed and developed a new mixed use, mixed income neighborhood that will increase the City's residential tax base by more than one third.
HABITAT FOR HUMANITY
John won the "1999 Ultimate Design Challenge" sponsored by residential architect magazine, with a 1176 square foot, four bedroom house. This house, constructed for $43 per square foot, was "blitz-built" in Maryland, on the CBS "Early Show" hosted by Bryant Gumbel and Bob Villa. This and other of John's designs are available to Habitat chapters throughout America. John has developed pro-bono Habitat plans for North Carolina and Iowa and was honored in 1973 with the U.S. Department of Interior Low Cost Tropical Housing competition award. Early in John's career, he perceived that the general public was disconnected from affordable residential architecture.
Recognizing that over 95% of this country's homes were being designed without architects, he devoted his efforts to reversing the ill effects this practice was having on our community's visual and functional landscape. John's honest, affordable, efficiently planned use of interior space coupled with environmentally energy efficient, sustainable designs brought overwhelming response both nationally and internationally. Homeowners as well as builder/craftsmen appreciate John's talented trademark designs. He has juried the "Best in American Living Awards," "Builder's Choice Awards," "The South Florida Builder's Association Awards," and the "Raleigh, North Carolina Builder Awards". He has also addressed the National Home Builders Convention and served on the 2002 AIA/HUD Design Awards Program Jury.
AFFORDABLE HOUSING FOR MILLIONS
John has developed an international following. His work has been built in 27 states and in Europe. His work has been published in newspapers and architect trade journals in Michigan, Indiana, Illinois, Texas, Florida, California, New York and in Germany. His practice has received 45 design awards by the AIA and AIA juried associations, and has been published in Architectural Record, Architecture, Progressive Architecture, residential architect, Professional Builder, Builder, Europe's American Dream House and other journals. He has been invited to lecture and teach at numerous schools and universities. In addition, he directly mentors architectural students and provides them the opportunity for hands-on learning experience.
John is regularly recognized on national television including CBS "The Morning Show," HGTV's "Before and After" and "New Spaces." He is recognized through numerous web sites including University of Illinois City Design Center's "Design Matters," Better Homes & Garden's " Home Plans," "Not so Big House", "Global-e-Architect" and others.
