An architect has been suspended after a row broke out with the owner of an £11 million Grand Designs-style house who complained that he could not see the sea from his swimming pool.
Jamie Falla was hired in 2013 by a wealthy client to build a lavish coastal home in the Channel Islands that remains unfinished 11 years later, a tribunal heard.
The architect was accused of a series of failings by the home’s owner as the cost of building the huge modernist property in Guernsey spiralled from £2 million to more than £11 million, while his fees rose from around £80,000 to £218,000.
The client complained that the view of the sea from the swimming pool was obstructed by neighbours’ trees, rooms were overheated due to faulty windows and there was no air conditioning, and that Tesla Powerwalls were not built correctly, the tribunal was told.
He even threatened to throw Mr Falla from the second-floor balcony as their relationship became increasingly “strained”, the Architects Registration Board (ARB) heard.
Mr Falla, an architect with over 25 years’ experience who has built a number of properties in the Channel Islands, has been suspended for two years after being found guilty of unacceptable professional conduct.
The tribunal was told the property’s owner, who was unnamed but described as “an exacting client with a robust management style”, wanted to build a house to “retire and live in his later years”.
He contacted Mr Falla in 2013 to start work on Sea Lodge in Fort George, St Peter Port, having worked with him in 2007.
“The project was a high-value project, with [Mr Falla’s] fees initially being proposed at £80,000 and then £400 a day for project management,” a tribunal report said.
“The estimated build cost was £2 million. Costs have since increased to over £11 million on the construction, excluding professional fees.”
It was heard that “numerous issues regarding Mr Falla’s fees persisted” over the first few years but became a “significant issue” in 2017 when his fee increased to £218,000.
“The relationship appears to have completely broken down in September 2017. [The client] stated that [Mr Falla] caused a project manager, appointed in 2017, to ‘throw in the towel’ and [his] work had constant shortcomings.”
The client lodged his first official complaint in 2018, which was followed by many more and in 2019 they reached a settlement agreement.
However, parties continued to work together and issues continued until they stopped in March 2022.
A quantity surveyor said remedial works to fix issues with the property would cost £800,000.
The tribunal heard one of the main issues was with the swimming pool.
The client wanted a “panoramic” view of the sea out to Herm Island from his pool, however, Mr Falla failed to warn him his neighbours’ trees would impede it.
The ARB panel said: “The committee noted that the view was a fundamental design feature. The swimming pool was positioned specifically to take advantage of the view but was significantly impeded by the neighbours’ trees.
“The committee accepted [expert evidence] that a reasonable architect would have recognised the potential for the existing trees to impede the view and would have explicitly warned the [client] of this.”
The tribunal also heard an outdoor gate did not close properly, ceiling plasterboards did not have double layers and standing water was left within gutters.
Overheating was also an issue and the tribunal was told: “The property was not equipped with air conditioning in many of the rooms and some of the windows had restricted openings.
“This caused overheating of the property, discomfort to the [client] and damage to furnishings.”
Client ‘reluctant to follow regulations’
The panel was told Tesla Powerwalls, home batteries which store energy, were not installed to the correct height, air con was not installed in many rooms, wire balustrades were not built adequately and waterproofing had to be carried out retrospectively after damp occurred.
It was heard that although it is still not finished, the client moved into the property.
At the tribunal, Mr Falla denied all allegations. He said he “acted professionally throughout the project” and said the complaints were “not justified”.
He claimed the client “was the only person he had ever received a complaint from in 25 years”.
He even alleged the client “threatened to throw him off a second-floor balcony” and that problems were due to the “complexity” of the project and the client’s “reluctance to follow the regulations”.
The panel found him guilty of five counts of serious misconduct.
These were failure to act with due skill and care, acting dishonestly and lacking integrity, failure to issue adequate terms of engagement, failure to act without undue delay, and entering into an agreement that prevented the client from raising concerns with the ARB.
The panel said: “Five of the failings were found to be serious, in that they fell far below the standard expected of a reasonable architect.
“Registered architects are expected to act with integrity and honesty at all times. [Mr Falla] chose to disregard his professional obligations to further his own needs.”
The tribunal heard Mr Falla is now employed by Studio Otto, run by Lucrezia Cavallone.
2024-07-26T14:58:54Z dg43tfdfdgfd