Architectural Malpractice

High-Rise Office Building

Situation

A developer engaged an architect to design a high-rise office building. The architect completed the design and the design documents. The developer severed the relationship with the architect and constructed the high-rise office building without the assistance of the design architect, the architect of record, and made numerous changes to the design.

At the conclusion of construction, the Developer re-engaged the architect to sign-off on the completion of construction. The architect agreed to do so as an accommodation for the sole purpose of receiving more work in the future from the developer.

Within one year after construction completion, portions of the exterior walls disengaged from the super structure and fell off the building.

Investigation

The DiGeronimo Investigation determined the architect, in accepting the responsibility to sign off on a close out the project, failed to thoroughly familiarize himself with the changes that occurred during construction.

Result

As a result of The DiGeronimo Investigation and Expert Testimony, the court determined the architect shared in the liability of the building failure.