I have just completed a building warrant application for a lovely family for a simple extension on the side of their house. I wasn’t their first ‘Architect’ to receive a commission but I certainly got to the task at hand and rectified the initial ‘Architect’s glaring mistakes.
You see there are many ‘designers’ out there who are not qualified architects or qualified technicians and as such they do not have to register to a professional body. These ‘designers’ often have limited skill and knowledge but profess the world to their unsuspecting clients. Here’s the story.
The Client accepts a fee proposal for £1600+VAT for the ‘designer’ to prepare planning and building warrant drawings and then pays upfront including all planning and building warrant fees. After several months the client receives a set of drawings from the designer, which of course are not to their requirements and then begin the tortuous journey of trying to get the drawings changed whilst the designer ignores the Clients calls, emails and letters. Eventually the Client receives a set of drawings which are to their satisfaction and they instruct the designer to lodge the planning application. When the designer lodges the planning application the cheque bounces, much to the frustration of the Client who has paid the planning fee upfront. The Client, out of sheer frustration, directly pays another planning fee to the Council knowing fine well that the initial fee paid to the designer is lost. The designer then lodges a building warrant application using the planning drawings i.e. there is little technical information on the drawings and thereafter building control write to the Client with over 30 comments and observations on the drawings! What a pig’s ear!!! That’s where I stepped in.
The moral of the story or the important issue for discussion is simply that building control will happily request proof of competency from a structural engineer, gas engineer or an electrician but they do not expect the designer to have any professional qualifications.
I consider that the Scottish Planning & Building Control System should be changed such that only registered Architects (ARB) or registered Technologists (CIAT) be allowed to prepare application drawings and packages. As such all application will then be produced by professionals who belong to professional bodies.
It is not acceptable that the Planning & Building Control System will accept sub standard applications from designers, draughtsmen, ex building control officers, surveyors all of whom have a little knowhow of considering the complexities of design, construction, and delivery as a homogenous whole. I do believe that there are some out there who are good and committed to service but to date the most that we have found are only interested in taking the money and running.
Will the Scottish System be reviewed to insist on qualifications for those acting as the lead designer? I think that it should.
Kenneth Martin
Block Architects
I like your suggestion but isn't this part of the 'protection of function' debate. I too have been in the situation where clients had previous 'designers' mess up their homes. I have also seen other, fully qualified, Architects and technicians make glaring errors on application. We are not immune to mistakes ourselves, we are best placed however to see the bigger picture and to design with the clients best interest in mind.
ReplyDeleteThanks for the return comment. I agree that we are all human and even the professionals make mistakes. I think that it is our ability to see the bigger picture which is our advantage. If building control could only regulate the designers ie ensure that there is a 'qualification' then I think it would be of advantage to them also.
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