The Claims-Free Architect
Architects sometimes get blindsided by accusations of professional error, omission or negligence. They struggle with the hidden risks that come with running an architectural practice, as it can be devastating—professionally and personally—to invest countless hours in a project, only to face one claim that threatens everything. Well, what if one could navigate these risks with confidence? What if architects could protect their practice and reputation while continuing to do what they love? Welcome to "The Claims-Free Architect", formerly known as “Architects’ Claims Stories”, renamed to better reflect the podcast’s mission. Brought to you by Pro-Demnity, a professional liability insur...
$2 Million Extra for a Dock That Couldn't Handle Trucks
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What happens when a freight forwarding giant hires architects to modernize its loading docks, only for the entire operation to grind to a halt due to a myriad of compounding design blunders?
In this episode, you’ll discover how overlooked vehicle clearances and poor coordination turned a routine upgrade into a multimillion-dollar fiasco—and the hard-won lessons that can keep any architect from repeating the same costly mistakes.
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Leave a Review Follow us on LinkedInAccess our Risk Education LibrarySpeak with a Risk Service...How to Build a $1M Bonfire
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Can any single oversight turn a proud community building made of local wood and stone into the perfect bonfire?
In this story of a remote First Nations school and social centre that burned to ash the day of the opening, you’ll discover how cumulative failures in fire safety and emergency response can consume even the most thoughtfully designed structure.
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Leave a Review Follow us on LinkedInAccess our Risk Education LibrarySpeak with a Risk Services Expert if you’re an Ontario architect seeking guidanc...If It Looks Wrong, It Might Be Wrong: An $18M Claim with an Old Friend and No Contract
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What happens when an architect designs a building for his old school friend, having no practical knowledge of what holds it up?
In this story, a handshake deal and blind trust in a questionable engineer turn a promising office park, into a multi-million-dollar quagmire, showing every architect why even the friendliest clients can lead to the costliest claims.
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Leave a Review Follow us on LinkedInAccess our Risk Education LibrarySpeak with a Risk Services Expert if you’re an Ontario architect seeking guidance for a ris...$1.8M Condo Claim Collapses to $15K After Ontario Architect Destroys the Plaintiffs' Case With Mere Facts
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What happens when a long-completed condo complex in Florida turns into a nightmarish web of racketeering charges, an arrest warrant, and a probable wedding-day police trap?
In this episode, you’ll discover how one residential project nearly cost Nathan Johnstone everything—until an astute legal defense and courtroom proceeding turned the tide, exposing the truth and revealing important lessons every architect must know before working across borders.
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Leave a Review Follow us on LinkedInAccess our Risk Education LibrarySpeak with a Risk Services Expert if you’...The "Perfect" Wine Cellar That Became a $5 Million Sauna
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What happens when a celebrated wine expert’s dream of a perfect climate-controlled cellar collapses into a multi-million-dollar disaster?
In this episode we discover how misplaced trust, overlooked warnings, and a failing mechanical system can ruin reputations and fortunes alike, revealing hard truths about professional responsibility that every architect must heed.
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Leave a Review Follow us on LinkedInAccess our Risk Education LibrarySpeak with a Risk Services Expert if you’re an Ontario architect seeking guidance for a risk management issue.Thank you for...
He Initialled the Clauses Without Reading Them – Then Faced Tens of Thousands a Day
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What happens when an architect steps into a highly specialized industrial project far beyond their expertise, guaranteeing outcomes they cannot control?
In this chilling tale of frozen assets, one firm’s modest extension job spirals into massive delays, exploding equipment, and a multimillion-dollar claim that reveals how quickly limited knowledge and a poorly reviewed contract can freeze an entire practice.
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Leave a Review Follow us on LinkedInAccess our Risk Education LibrarySpeak with a Risk Services Expert if you’re an Ontario architect seeking guidanc...A Building Is Not a Boat: The Architect Who Used “Boat Paint” as Roof Sealant
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When an architect accepts a commission to replace a leaky roof, does the client have any reason to doubt that proper materials and careful oversight will be used?
In this tale of an architect specifying an unsuitable, cheap product alternative to save their client a few bucks, you’ll discover how one impulsive substitution and lax review turned trust into a year-long nightmare of leaky roofs, lost revenue, and shattered reputations, revealing hard lessons every architect must heed before attempting to save a buck at any cost.
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When Hockey Pucks Get Buried Halfway in New Retirement Home Walls
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What happens when an architect specifies an approved lightweight wall system for a retirement home, only to watch it crumble under repeated slap-shots and Canadian winters within a year?
In this episode you’ll discover how a promising “new and improved” product turned a proud building into a shabby hockey puck target, and what every architect can learn about balancing innovation with hard-won caution.
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Leave a Review Follow us on LinkedInAccess our Risk Education LibrarySpeak with a Risk Services Expert if you’re an Ontar...Doric Disaster: The Vulgar Portico That Torpedoed a Pastor’s Niagara Mansion Dream
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This “classic” episode from our first season has been re-edited for the benefit of our newest listeners, as a way to keep these evergreen lessons alive, We hope you enjoy listening to this story as much as we do presenting it to you.
Can a Pastor, a septic field, a circular driveway, a classical portico and a tennis court all coexist on one corner lot?
Apparently not, as a cascade of small missteps by the architect turned an extravagant renovation into a divine comedy of errors, revealing how...
"I Just Walked Into Space": How Architects Approved a Code-Violating Curved Stair
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This “classic” episode from our first season has been re-edited for the benefit of our newest listeners, as a way to keep these evergreen lessons alive, We hope you enjoy listening to this story as much as we do presenting it to you.
What happens when an elegant curved staircase turns into a painful trap for an 84-year-old grandmother simply trying to get home after a medical test?
In this episode you’ll discover how a dramatic architectural gesture, divided responsibilities, and overlooked Code details led to a fall...
The Unhealthy Health Club: Poor Wall Detailing, a Fleeing Contractor and a Modest Settlement
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This “classic” episode from our first season has been re-edited for the benefit of our newest listeners, as a way to keep these evergreen lessons alive, We hope you enjoy listening to this story as much as we do presenting it to you.
What happens when an architect designs a lavish health-club tower addition, only to watch it leak like a sieve two years after completion?
In this tale of poor detailing, forceful construction managers, and a fleeing contractor, you’ll discover how overlooked details can turn a well...
Ticket Stubs Don’t Lie: The $60K Price of an Architect’s Fake Alibi
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This “classic” episode from our first season has been re-edited for the benefit of our newest listeners, as a way to keep these evergreen lessons alive, We hope you enjoy listening to this story as much as we do presenting it to you.
What happens when an architect forgets he is merely the agent of the owner and starts making critical decisions that were not his to make during the bidding process?
In this cautionary tale, one well-meaning professional buries a suspiciously low bid, skips written communication, and...
The Claims-Free Architect Season 5: How to Master the Dark Side of Practice Before a Single Lawsuit Wipes Out Your Reputation & Business
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Have you ever faced a claim that turned your architectural vision into a legal nightmare? Do the hidden risks of your practice haunt you, knowing that a single misstep can jeopardize your reputation and livelihood? What if you could master these risks?
Welcome to Season 5 of The Claims-Free Architect, brought to you by Pro-Demnity Insurance, safeguarding architects for four decades. This podcast will empower you to stay claims-free.
Drawn from the Pro-Demnity claims files of retired VP, Claims, David Croft, our 22 weekly episodes include new claim stories as well...
Pros watch in silence as DIY couple’s hands-on build leads to a costly disaster.
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In a lakeside home where client-induced chaos breeds leaky walls, poor construction drowns dreams. Can an architect be liable for staying silent, when not engaged to supervise and coordinate construction?
Find out why inaction can cause problems, how putting things in writing shields you, and why clear professional boundaries help to avoid lawsuits.
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Leave a Review Follow us on LinkedInAccess our Risk Education LibrarySpeak with a Risk Services Expert if you’re an Ontario architect seeking guidance for a risk management issue.Than...
“The Flying Doctor”: How an $18M Claim Collapsed When His Pilot Licence Proved He Could Still Fly
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In a parking garage where a doctor slips on uneven stairs, a headlong crash threatens his career. Can an architect be held liable for this costly fall?
Learn why stairs can be treacherous, how site reviews can save you, and why a well-researched defense can dismantle dubious claims.
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Leave a Review Follow us on LinkedInAccess our Risk Education LibrarySpeak with a Risk Services Expert if you’re an Ontario architect seeking guidance for a risk management issue.Thank you for listening.
A Big Claim and a Human Rights Speech: The Co-op That Turned into a Real-Life Funhouse
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In a co-op where homes tilt like carnival funhouses, unstable soil wreaks havoc, can an architect be liable when a soils report fails to warn of impending danger?
Discover how site remediation can create problems, how appearances can be deceiving, how surveys can save you, and how shortcuts can cause projects to flounder.
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Leave a Review Follow us on LinkedInAccess our Risk Education LibrarySpeak with a Risk Services Expert if you’re an Ontario architect seeking guidance for a risk management issue.Than...
The Wonky Wall: How Coordination and Consultants Couldn't Save a Crumbling Heritage Structure
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During the renovation of a historic building, intended to serve as a banquet hall, ancient walls crumble under new loads and chaos halts construction. Can an architect be liable when experts vouched for stability?
Uncover why old stones betray, how inspections save you, and why consultants matter.
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Leave a Review Follow us on LinkedInAccess our Risk Education LibrarySpeak with a Risk Services Expert if you’re an Ontario architect seeking guidance for a risk management issue.Thank you for listening.
The Fake Granite Scandal: How One Architect Survived a $1.5M Lawsuit
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In a chic gallery, where a floor’s dyed-blue “granite” inserts bleed like paint, a costly mess emerges. Can an architect be liable when fake granite fooled everyone?
Discover why materials can be deceiving, how testing them can save the day, and why friendships sometimes help solve disputes.
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Leave a Review Follow us on LinkedInAccess our Risk Education LibrarySpeak with a Risk Services Expert if you’re an Ontario architect seeking guidance for a risk management issue.Thank you for listening.
How One Marble Threshold Taught This Architect a $450K Lesson
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In a lavish hotel suite where a marble threshold trips the host, a painful fall sparks a million-dollar claim. Can an architect be liable despite code compliance?
Learn why safety is more important than style, how well-crafted details can help your defense, and why juries favor sympathy.
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Leave a Review Follow us on LinkedInAccess our Risk Education LibrarySpeak with a Risk Services Expert if you’re an Ontario architect seeking guidance for a risk management issue.Thank you for listening.
When ‘Affordable’ Housing Becomes a Liability Trap
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In a rural co-op where mold and rot ruin homes, neglect and the lack of a maintenance budget, highlight the cheap construction. Can the architect be liable for this decay, years after completion?
Learn why maintenance matters, how durable construction saves money in the long term, and why empathy often bests arrogance.
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Leave a Review Follow us on LinkedInAccess our Risk Education LibrarySpeak with a Risk Services Expert if you’re an Ontario architect seeking guidance for a risk management issue.Thank...
When Hurt Feelings Become Lawsuits
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In a quiet neighborhood, when a client’s home addition blocks a neighbor’s cherished view and light, tensions flare into a legal showdown. Can an architect be liable for this neighbour’s loss ?
Learn how miscommunications fuel disputes, and how sympathetic mediation can save the day.
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Leave a Review Follow us on LinkedInAccess our Risk Education LibrarySpeak with a Risk Services Expert if you’re an Ontario architect seeking guidance for a risk management issue.Thank you for listening.
Why “Wearing Too Many Hats” Could Destroy Your Practice
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In a condo venture, an architect juggles roles as promoter, developer, builder, and financier, while cracking columns threaten structural collapse and financial ruin. Can the architect wearing multiple hats be liable for this project’s failures?
Find out how “role overload” courts disaster, poor coordination sparks lawsuits, and clear contracts can provide a lifeline.
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Leave a Review Follow us on LinkedInAccess our Risk Education LibrarySpeak with a Risk Services Expert if you’re an Ontario architect seeking guidance for a risk management issue.Thank...
Why Copying Designs Could Cost You Your License
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On a project where an architect copies another’s drawings without permission, detailing problems create leaks and fire hazards. Can an architect be liable for defects stemming from plagiarized plans?
You’ll learn why copying someone else’s designs spells trouble, how skimpy reviews lead to lawsuits, and why ethics are your best defense.
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Leave a Review Follow us on LinkedInAccess our Risk Education LibrarySpeak with a Risk Services Expert if you’re an Ontario architect seeking guidance for a risk management issue.Thank...
Why an Architect’s Implicit Trust in a Builder-Developer Led to a Legal Nightmare
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In a condo project where a brash developer cuts corners and ignores warnings, code violations force residents to evacuate their new homes. Can an architect be liable for these flaws when only hired to sign-off on lenders’ certificates?
Discover how signing lenders’ certificates carries risks, why documenting deficiencies is your armour, and how to stand firm against rogue developers.
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Leave a Review Follow us on LinkedInAccess our Risk Education LibrarySpeak with a Risk Services Expert if you’re an Ontario architect seeking guidance for a ris...When “Following Orders” Conflicts with the Architect's Duty of Care
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In a mid-rise office project, an architect’s risky plan to start construction on a 10-storey building based on a permit for 5-storeys, grinds to a halt when the building inspector issues a stop work order. Can the architect be liable for these costly delays due to miscommunication?
Learn why missing records can sink you, how translators keep you safe, and why risky actions are best avoided.
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Leave a Review Follow us on LinkedInAccess our Risk Education LibrarySpeak with a Risk Services Expert if you...The $530,000 Claim That Almost Ruined a Retired Architect
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In a small-town project for a charitable service club, a local contractor unilaterally swaps robust design elements for flimsy substitutes. The clubhouse ends up on the verge of collapse decades later. Can an architect be held liable for this failure when the contractor ignored their plans without anyone’s approval?
Find out how refusing free reviews saves you, why contractor shortcuts spell disaster, and how to avoid liability, years down the line.
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Leave a Review Follow us on LinkedInAccess our Risk Education LibrarySpeak with...Why Proper Site Visits Could Save Your Career
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In a lavish mansion project where a tycoon client calls the shots and takes a cavalier approach to site supervision, a fire reduces everything to ashes except for a lone fireplace. Can an architect be held liable for this blaze when they weren’t tasked with supervising construction?
You’ll discover how a single site visit can burn you, why contracts with a clear scope of work are your shield, and how unnoticed fireplace flaws can create legal nightmares.
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Leave a Review Follow us on L...The Windowless Wall and 8-Foot Ceilings: The $1M Claim That Started Without a Permit
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This “classic” episode from our first season has been re-edited for the benefit of our newest listeners, as a way to keep these evergreen lessons alive, We hope you enjoy listening to this story as much as we do presenting it to you
In a small-town office project, when an eager developer starts without a permit, a faulty wall and low ceilings derail the project. Can an architect be liable for these setbacks when the client jumped the gun?
Find out why permits are non-negotiable, how surveys prev...
“Who’s in Charge?” – The Historic Masonry Disaster That Cost Everyone
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This “classic” episode from our first season has been re-edited for the benefit of our newest listeners, as a way to keep these evergreen lessons alive, We hope you enjoy listening to this story as much as we do presenting it to you
In a historic restoration where three architects, an engineer, and a manager bombard a mason with conflicting orders, shoddy stonework triggers a costly redo. Can architects be liable for this mess when everyone’s calling the shots?
Uncover why too many cooks spoil the projec...
The Septic Field That Turned Their Dream Home into a Recurring Sewage Pit
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This “classic” episode from our first season has been re-edited for the benefit of our newest listeners, as a way to keep these evergreen lessons alive, We hope you enjoy listening to this story as much as we do presenting it to you
On a hillside, a misplaced septic field turns a cozy retreat into a flood zone, and owners battle murky waters at midnight. Can an architect be liable for this deluge when they only suggested the field’s general layout, and not its specifics?
Learn why ve...
“This Isn’t Florida”: The Board’s Fateful Words That Left Seniors Fainting and One Architect on the Hook
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This “classic” episode from our first season has been re-edited for the benefit of our newest listeners, as a way to keep these evergreen lessons alive, We hope you enjoy listening to this story as much as we do presenting it to you
In a charitable society’s new home for the aged, where a limited budget led to an inappropriate air conditioning system, residents faint from unbearable heat. Can an architect be liable for this failure when they followed the client’s verbal instructions, even though t...
The Claims-Free Architect Season 4 Trailer (2025)
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Have you ever faced a claim that turned your architectural vision into a legal nightmare? Do the hidden risks of your practice haunt you? A single misstep—like a contractor’s error, a language barrier, or a neighbor’s grievance—can jeopardize your reputation and livelihood.
What if you could master these risks? Welcome to Season 4 of The Claims-Free Architect, brought to you by Pro-Demnity, safeguarding architects for four decades. This podcast empowers you to stay claims-free. Our 18 episodes blend new tales—like mansion fires from faulty fireplaces and condo chaos from rogue...
When An Improper Fireplace Installation Causes A Ski Lodge Inferno
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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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Leave a Review Follow us on LinkedInAccess our Risk Education LibrarySpeak with a Risk Se...How Ignoring The Neighbour's Runoff Resulted In A Paint Shop Flood
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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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When A Millwork Schedule Typo Leads To A $200,000 Mistake
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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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Leave a Review Follow us on LinkedInAccess our Risk Education LibrarySpeak with a Risk Services Expert if you’re an Ontario architect seeking guidance for a risk management issue.Thank you for...
How A Mould Expert Worsened Damage From A Faulty Sprinkler Valve
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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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Leave a Review Follow us on LinkedInAccess our Risk Education LibrarySpeak with a Risk Services Expert if you’re an Ontario architect s...When a 25-Tonne Precast Wall Crashes Down, Who's Responsible?
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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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Leave a Review Follow us on LinkedInAccess our Risk Education LibrarySpeak with a Risk Services Expert if you’re an Ontario architect seeking guidance...What Happens When An Unreasonable Client Demolishes Completed Work?
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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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Leave a Review Follow us on LinkedInAccess our Risk Education LibrarySpeak with a Risk Services Expert if you’re an Ontario architect seeking guidance for a risk management issue.Thank yo...
When Cheaping Out Results In A Beloved Building Burning Down
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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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Leave a Review Follow us on LinkedInAccess our Risk Education LibraryS...How The Incorrect Soils Report Led To A Building Collapse
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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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Leave a Review Follow us on LinkedInAccess our Risk Education LibrarySpeak with a Risk Services Expert if you’re an Ontari...