John Bartlett entered the Architectural Association in 1955 as a Second Year student, on the five-year Diploma course. As part of his final year’s studies, he elected to join the AA’s Department of Tropical Architecture for two terms, graduating with both an AA Honours Diploma and a Certificate in Tropical Architecture. Upon graduating in 1959, he worked for a practice based in Clacton-on-Sea, Essex, but by 1962 was working for the Ministry of Housing and Local Government's Research and Development group, where he designed the MHLG Adaptable House for the Ideal Home Exhibition as a demonstration of flexible building, responding to the Parker Morris Report of the previous year. Shortly afterwards he joined the newly formed National Building Agency, serving as it’s Deputy Chief Executive from 1966. He retained his ties to the AA and served as Hon Editor for Arena, the AA’s journal in the late 1960s, as well as serving on the AA’s Council for nearly a decade. In addition to these activities, John established his own practice, based in Weybridge, Surrey, where in later life he was also elected as an independent councillor for Elmbridge Borough Council.

Sources

• Architectural Association Student Register 1945-1972, AA Archives
• Architectural Association Diploma Roll, 1924-1963, AA Archives
• Architectural Association Council Minutes Books, 23rd February, 1959, p317, AA Archives
• Architectural Association Quarterly, Vol. 1, 1969, p1

• Ural, O., Krapfenbauer, R. Housing: The Impact of Economy and Technology, Elsevier Science, 2013, p167