The Architects Between The Standards

I completed my dissertation in my Stage 4, honours year of my architectural studies. The focus of my research project was focused on the legal and ethical standards that architects are held to in professional practice. I used data collected by my co-op year mentor, Gordon Gibb, over his career as an adjudicator and arbitrator and expert architect, working in cases of construction contract failure. Using the expert witness reports I analyzed and collated the data within each report, and produced a series of graphical analyses to compare the data and highlight specific trends in the way architects are approaching aspects of practice that might leave them vulnerable to litigation. I identified which errors most often resulted in claims against architects, and which steps architects can take in the contract negotiation and procurement stages, in order to minimize the likelihood of a claim of professional negligence being brought against them. My dissertation revealed some interesting aspects of the construction contract, and the research has been picked up and carried on by the MAC, Gordon Gibb and a group of students, in order to collate and research all claims of professional negligence in Scotland to confirm my initial results.