The Architectural Institute of BC (AIBC) is very concerned and disappointed in the government’s legal warnings sent to architects over leaky and potentially leaky public schools in the province.
"We have in the past and continue to press the government for solutions to several issues that face our profession in connection to water ingress," said Stuart Howard, President of the AIBC. "The lack of available professional liability insurance, a virtual unlimited time frame for liability and not holding all parties connected with the construction of identified facilities to accountability is deeply disturbing to us."
Architects find themselves the targets for litigation by the fact that they are readily accessible long after construction is completed on many projects and the construction firms have disappeared. The AIBC has asked the government to re-examine its rules on Joint and Several Liability and follow the lead taken by other provinces in reasonably limiting the amount of time that liability on a structure can be assessed.
"Architects believe in, are committed to, and greatly concerned with quality in the built environment. We comply with provincial building codes and local government standards," said Howard. "We try to maintain the highest quality of design and identify materials suitable to each project’s purpose."
The AIBC will continue to work with the government to ensure that architects as professionals receive fair treatment under provincial legislation particularly that a government Civil Liability Review proceeds with special attention to Joint and Several Liability and implementation of limited liability. The AIBC is also dedicated to the protection of the public by maintaining professional competencies amongst its members in the architectural profession.