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In a building project where an Architect’s role has been marginalized, and where the chain of command is generally confused, can the Architect still be held responsible for errors by others that lead to catastrophe?

You’ll learn that even when Architects are not contracted to supervise construction, or to coordinate trades and consultants, they may inadvertently assume these responsibilities and any liability attached to them.

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What sort of problems arise when Architects and Engineers are unfamiliar with the physical context of a building site? How can they work together to ensure that things such as site drainage are adequately dealt with?

When Architects fail to familiarize themselves with existing site conditions, they and their consultants may be designing in a bubble. In this case, the site grading drawings were fine, but failed to note that the site was at the foot of a hill. Flooding was inevitable.

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How can a simple typographical error in a millwork order lead to a financial and logistical nightmare, not to mention the heartbreak of trashing 180 custom-made cabinets?

Architects don’t normally assume responsibility for ordering interior furnishings and fittings. But when they do, they should follow quality assurance protocols.

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When experts with questionable incentives make a simple problem worse by recommending drastic solutions, who is responsible for picking up the tab?

You’ll learn how a faulty valve caused major water damage to a new building. And when a toxic mould infestation ensued, “experts” were called in to assess the damage. This led to a costly legal battle.

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When a major building component, such as an exterior wall, fails during construction, who was supposed to check the shop drawings?

The cause of the near-tragedy becomes obvious, only after the wall has fallen over - it hadn’t been tied into the structure. You’ll learn how dereliction of duty triggered a catastrophic series of events.

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If an Architect provides better quality cladding materials than those the client requested, can the Client order those materials to be replaced at the Architect’s expense?

You’ll learn that unreasonable clients and guilt-ridden architects can make strange bedfellows and their relationship dynamics may lead to unnecessarily expensive lawsuits.

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When a recently renovated, beloved heritage building burns to the ground with no discernible cause, who is responsible?

Even forensic fire experts may have trouble pinpointing the cause of a fire, but if the architects are contracted to perform site reviews, they will be in the “line of fire,” regardless of the actual source of the original spark. There are, however, precautions that Architects can take to mitigate the risks.

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What happens when a project is designed and engineered based on a subsoils report created for another site, with wildly different conditions?

Adjacent sites may appear almost identical above grade, and yet have radically different subsoil conditions. It can be a false economy—and potentially catastrophic—to forgo a proper soils report specific to your site and instead base your design on unfounded assumptions.

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