The CEO Magazine Asia - 10.2018

theceomagazine.com | 13

he expression ‘celebrity property developer’ might

not be one that’s entered the public’s consciousness,

but if it’s applicable to anyone, it is to Robbie

Antonio, CEO and Founder of Revolution Precrafted.

The 41-year-old developer, entrepreneur and

connoisseur of art is the visionary behind a

revolutionary concept – prefab buildings that are

not just affordable, but also luxurious and stylish.

Founded in December 2015, Revolution represents

a partnership between prefab architecture and more

than 80 world-class designers and firms such as

Jean Nouvel, Kravitz Design and the Zaha Hadid

architectural firm.

Though he’s still relatively young, Robbie has

forayed into property development before launching

Revolution. He founded Antonio Development in

New York and has been responsible for the

development of millions of square metres of luxury

real estate across the Philippines and the US.

But these sorts of projects weren’t able to

maintain Robbie’s interest indefinitely. With years

of luxury architecture experience behind him, he

came up with the unique concept of designer prefab.

“I thought, ‘This is great, but I’m impacting one sort

of developer in only one country,’” Robbie explains.

“I decided I wanted to be truly global, and have an

asset-light business that could be nimble and disruptive.

I amalgamated my contacts and created a business to

reach the world. I still wanted luxury, but I wanted it

to be affordable.”

AIMING HIGH

Thus, Revolution Precrafted was born three years ago,

and has since made history by becoming the

Philippines’ first unicorn start-up, and one of the fastest

to be acknowledged so, in South-East Asia. The specific

inspiration behind Revolution was Robbie’s desire to

make luxury housing widely available, both

geographically and economically. Regarding the latter,

there really is an option for everyone.

“You can expect that someone who wants a Philip

Johnson Alan Ritchie Architects’ modular house would

be very different from someone who wants, let’s say,

a US$12,000 house from Revolution Basics, or from

a more affordable designer,” says Robbie. “We’re trying

to offer different sizes and price points.” »

CEO AND FOUNDER OF REVOLUTION PRECRAFTED

ROBBIE ANTONIO HAS ESTABLISHED A UNIQUE

NICHE – GLOBAL, DESIGNER, PREFAB HOUSING.

WORDS OLIVER FEATHERSTON • IMAGES JAMES ONA

T

GLOBAL,

counter-cyclical &

ubiquitous.
”

Cover story | INSPIRE