architect complaint

Is he a member of the RIAI?

I don’t think so Paul. I searched their site yesterday by typing in his name and location but the search result came up with this

There are no practices matching the criteria you specified.

Therefore I can only assume that he works privately.

I am seriously annoyed at some of the things this individual has done on behalf of his clients and the latest episode, involving drawings submitted to the P.A. that were not in compliance with the Conditional permission granted was the final straw. How anyone could ‘doctor’ their drawings in the hope of retaining what An Bord Pleanala directed must be moved back is beyond me. This is schoolboy stuff but overall and over a course of a year the amount of deception involved by this individual on planning applications and drawings has completely amazed me and yet it seems that he isn’t in any way concerned by this. It’s stressful enough been subject to a system that apart from sites like this I’d know very little about but to witness an architect behave in this manner just defies all sense of logic. After all, he is a professional and he should act accoringly.

My aplogies if I appear unobjective but you’d have to fully experience what I have to understand my frustration.

he can be a member without being a practice member

The RIAI can’t / won’t do anything about such complaints even if the ‘architect’ is a member. The RIAI will only engage with complaints from clients of RIAI registered practices where clients are making a complaint against the architect who is providing a service to them. It is fruastrating but the RIAI have no code of conduct for as of yet for what you are describing.

Problems with drawings / compliance must be pointed out to the Local Authority ( planning or enforcement ) or An Bord Pleanala as is the case. Planning / An Bord Pleanala will only accept legitimate/substantial arguments from people who have made observations/objections in the prescribed manner. These are quite important points to remember.

If Enforcement, after the reporting of an illegal development or breach of compliance, fail to deal with a situation the only avenue that you can take is to take out an injunction against the owner. I think there is very little you can do against the agents themselves. I would suggest that an injunction – which is expensive, or the threat of one – which is realitively inexpensive, would certainly at least gain the attention of the owner.

Is it possible also to that you are dealing with mistakes, rushed work and errors instead of outright deception?

“The RIAI can’t / won’t do anything about such complaints even if the ‘architect’ is a member.”

The RIAI like all professional associations have a code of conduct. There is a complaints procedure and there are sanctions.

Regardless there is also the office of the Director of Consumer Affairs who can initiate an investigation and the ombudsman for this area may also be able to help. Short of that there is always the legal route.

That was quick Shadow…tell me are you arguing just for the sake of it?

The RIAI are only presently discussing a code of conduct which will come in with registration…I refer you to recent editions of the ‘Irish Architect’…they don’t (and I have been through this) deal with complaints such as this…

Anf if Coexist wishes to deal with the problems he/she is facing the Office of Consumer Affairs can do little to to help the situation…Coexist unfortunately has two clear avenues for action…

1) Local Authority – Planning / Enforcement.
2) Legal Action.

If the owner is unwilling to heed the former or they do not act appropriately Coexist will have to consider the latter to safe-guard his/her rights.

@Coexist wrote:

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..drawings submitted to the P.A. that were not in compliance with the Conditional permission granted was the final straw. .

….to witness an architect behave in this manner just defies all sense of logic.

After all, he is a professional and he should act accoringly.

My apologies if I appear unobjective.

Are you barking up the wrong tree?

If the condition required plans to be submitted and agreed with the planning authority, the architect is entitled to represent his/her client by testing the scope of what might be achieved by agreement within the terms of the condition. If the architect is pushing for something which is beyond a reasonable interpreation of the requirements of the condition it is a matter for the planning authority to say no. I don’t see the point in trying to involve a professional body. There is nothing unethical in a professional person asking a question on behalf of his/her client.

Dieter, although I appreciate your opinion, I don’t necessarily agree with the contents of your reply

Are you barking up the wrong tree?

If the condition required plans to be submitted and agreed with the planning authority, the architect is entitled to represent his/her client by testing the scope of what might be achieved by agreement within the terms of the condition. If the architect is pushing for something which is beyond a reasonable interpreation of the requirements of the condition it is a matter for the planning authority to say no.

It’s extremely difficult to express without resorting to an essay on what this individual has tried on behalf of his clients within the past twelve months. Twice applications have been returned to him as invalid and as I read the reasons for same, I can assure you that it beggers belief what he submitted to the P.A. Furthermore, revised drawings submitted by him to the P.A. only last week were in non-compliance of a condition as set by An Bord pleanala for the P.A. to observe, which they duly did.

I can honestly state that even the latest effort by this archi – illustrates the unwillingness of him/his clients to comply with the permission granted. Perhaps, he may have been testing the water, just to see what the P.A. would do and I have no doubt that eventually his drawings will comply but as a ‘professional’ wouldn’t you think that he above anyone would do what’s required and advise his clients accordingly.

I think it’s ridiculous that someone would deliberately try to go against the ruling of An Bord Pleanala. I’ve respected their decision. I would imagine that he would too.

I don’t live in a vast open area, where there is ample room for development but in an estate, and the development has set a new precedence for the area. I am totally in favour of development, as long as it harmonises with it’s surroundings and believe me when i say this, I am convinced that you’ll be hearing further about this in due course.

Why were the drawings invalidated. Surely they were just for minor omissions rather than trying to trick the PA.

Because the development in question was constructed in beach of a planning condition, it was subsequently directed by An BORD Pleanala to move the development back, this meant having to demolish the existing building line blockwork. The drawings that were submitted didn’t comly with the modified condition. The architect left the dimension as it existed protruding from the front facade of the house.

I asked why he had two applications that were returned invalid, not why he didn’t comply with conditions. I imagined he was asked to change something and didn’t, but I was also interested by the other two applications you refered to.

Ok,

I have a correction to make to a post I wrote up earlier;

The RIAI does have a code of conduct. It was adopted last December.There is presently, as I understand it and as I pointed out previously, no complaint mechanism for non-clients.

There is an ongoing discussion about ethics/accountability in relation to registration and the proposed ‘Building Control Bill 2005’. My earlier mistake was to confuse this discussion with the RIAI’s current postion. My full apologies for misleading anybody earlier.