Frederic Schwass

Frederic Schwass is the Chief Development Officer (CDO) at General Projects, a London-based real-estate developer. He joined the company at its founding in 2016 and has since played a central role in shaping its development strategy and growth. Fred is recognised for championing adaptive reuse, retrofit-first approaches, and sustainable construction, with a particular focus on mass timber to create low-carbon, future-ready buildings.
In his role as CDO, Fred leads the team responsible for shaping and delivering projects across housing, offices, and hotels as the company expands into new sectors. Recent work includes the planning-approved Singer Studios project in Shoreditch, a mixed-use development combining creative workspace, long-stay accommodation, and new public realm, designed to achieve ambitious sustainability benchmarks such as BREEAM Outstanding and extensive CLT use.
Earlier in his career at General Projects, he oversaw the development of Technique in Clerkenwell, an exemplar retrofit in which two 1960s structures were renewed and extended with CLT and glulam top-up floors, demonstrating his commitment to sustainable reuse paired with architectural ambition.
Fred reflects a new generation of developers who prioritise transformation over demolition, aligning with contemporary sustainability and regeneration values. His work consistently aims to balance heritage sensitivity, design quality, environmental responsibility, and commercial viability representing a demanding but increasingly essential blend in modern urban development. Through his advocacy for timber construction and retrofit-first strategies, Fred contributes to broader industry shifts that reduce embodied carbon and promote greener, more resilient urban environments.