The Association of Building Technicians was founded in 1919 as the Architects' and Surveyors' Assistants' Professional Union. In 1924 it became the Association of Architects, Surveyors and Technical Assistants (AASTA). It changed name again in 1942 to become the Association of Building Technicians (ABT).

During his early working life Percy Johnson-Marshall was an active member of the Association. He held office on a number of central and regional committees. Work on these included overseeing the authorship of reports and representing students in professional disputes. He was also one of the organisers of the "Coventry of Tomorrow Exhibition" mounted by the Coventry Branch of the AASTA in 1940. During the course of his membership, Johnson-Marshall also collected a selection of published material produced by the association.