Reviewing plans and specifications for compliance with the building code. Prior to submitting plans and specifications to council for a building consent it is useful to engage an independent expert to conduct a thorough review, particularly where weathertightness issues are involved.
Reduce risk for Architects and Architectural Designers
We can reduce architects’ and architectural designers’ exposure to the risk of being sued for negligent designs by identifying areas of the design that may not comply with the building code and offering appropriate design solutions.
Our defective building investigation experience provides us with a wealth of knowledge relating to building failure and weathertight performance. We can assist with design advice for weathertight and durable details where acceptable solution details are incorrect, or non-existent. We know what works, and what doesn’t, when it comes to weathertight design.
We can also assess designs for ‘buildability’ to ensure the contractor can easily construct the building as designed.
Weathertight defect claims
Architects and designers are often called into weathertight defect claims for leaky buildings due to missing, inadequate or incorrect information in their plans and specifications. By conducting thorough reviews of plans and specifications prior to submission for building consent, or prior to starting work on-site, we can identify potential building code non-compliances and offer alternative design solutions, particularly to areas of high weather-tightness risk, thus reducing the designer’s potential liabilities for being sued.
Construction defects
If architects or designers are called in as respondents in a construction defects claim, we have current experience of providing expert witness services by investigating the circumstances of the claim and preparing evidence and opinion as to their responsibility for the defects. We have successfully reduced the exposure of our Architectural clients to significant claims for financial compensation in litigation.
Clerk of works
Architects and designers are also often called in to leaky building claims due to the construction work not being implemented in accordance with the design plans and specifications.
For confidence that construction work is carried out in accordance with the plans and specifications, we can carry out Clerk of Works or construction observation duties throughout the construction period and/or provide contract administration services under a formal construction contract as engineer to the contract.
Find our more about a Clerk of Works
Work with the professionals
We have extensive experience of other people’s mistakes from our hundreds of defective building investigations.
The evidence of the last fifteen to twenty years of the NZ construction industry’s mistakes leads us to one fundamental conclusion: It is better to try and get it right first time rather than re-visit the mistakes later at considerable cost to building owners, tenants, designers, contractors, sub-contractors, councils, government, insurers and lenders.
Questions about our services?
We know there is commonly asked questions about the design process and choosing, engaging and working with a building consultancy business.