The Claims-Free Architect
Architects sometimes get blindsided by accusations of professional error, omission or negligence. They struggle with the hidden risks that come with running an architectural practice, as it can be devastating—professionally and personally—to invest countless hours in a project, only to face one claim that threatens everything.
Well, what if one could navigate these risks with confidence? What if architects could protect their practice and reputation while continuing to do what they love?
Welcome to "The Claims-Free Architect", formerly known as “Architects’ Claims Stories”, renamed to better reflect the podcast’s mission. Brought to you by
Pro-Demnity, a professional liability insurance company that has been protecting and defending architects for nearly four decades.
This season, every week for 14 weeks, you’ll hear stories that delve into real-world situations faced by architects. From these actual experiences, architects will gain the insights needed to identify potential risks and learn how to manage, minimize, mitigate, avoid or even accept them, and ultimately, better protect your architectural practice from claims.
If you’re a licensed, practicing architect, an architectural practice owner, an architectural intern, or a member of an architectural team, and you’re looking to avoid professional pitfalls, subscribe to "The Claims-Free Architect" wherever you get your podcasts. By tuning in, you’ll be well on your way to understanding risk and keeping your practice claims-free.
***The Claims-Free Architect Podcast is recognized by Canadian Architect magazine as one of the Best podcasts and films for Canadian architects: 2024 Edition ***
Episodes
45 episodes
Pros watch in silence as DIY couple’s hands-on build leads to a costly disaster.
In a lakeside home where client-induced chaos breeds leaky walls, poor construction drowns dreams. Can an architect be liable for staying silent, when not engaged to supervise and coordinate construction?Find out why inaction can cause p...
“The Flying Doctor”: How an $18M Claim Collapsed When His Pilot Licence Proved He Could Still Fly
In a parking garage where a doctor slips on uneven stairs, a headlong crash threatens his career. Can an architect be held liable for this costly fall?Learn why stairs can be treacherous, how site reviews can save you, and why a well-res...
A Big Claim and a Human Rights Speech: The Co-op That Turned into a Real-Life Funhouse
In a co-op where homes tilt like carnival funhouses, unstable soil wreaks havoc, can an architect be liable when a soils report fails to warn of impending danger?Discover how site remediation can create problems, how appearances can be d...
The Wonky Wall: How Coordination and Consultants Couldn't Save a Crumbling Heritage Structure
During the renovation of a historic building, intended to serve as a banquet hall, ancient walls crumble under new loads and chaos halts construction. Can an architect be liable when experts vouched for stability?Uncover why old stones b...
The Fake Granite Scandal: How One Architect Survived a $1.5M Lawsuit
In a chic gallery, where a floor’s dyed-blue “granite” inserts bleed like paint, a costly mess emerges. Can an architect be liable when fake granite fooled everyone?Discover why materials can be deceiving, how testing them can save the d...
How One Marble Threshold Taught This Architect a $450K Lesson
In a lavish hotel suite where a marble threshold trips the host, a painful fall sparks a million-dollar claim. Can an architect be liable despite code compliance?Learn why safety is more important than style, how well-crafted details can...
When ‘Affordable’ Housing Becomes a Liability Trap
In a rural co-op where mold and rot ruin homes, neglect and the lack of a maintenance budget, highlight the cheap construction. Can the architect be liable for this decay, years after completion?Learn why maintenance matters, how durable...
When Hurt Feelings Become Lawsuits
In a quiet neighborhood, when a client’s home addition blocks a neighbor’s cherished view and light, tensions flare into a legal showdown. Can an architect be liable for this neighbour’s loss ?Learn how miscommunications fuel disputes, a...
Why “Wearing Too Many Hats” Could Destroy Your Practice
In a condo venture, an architect juggles roles as promoter, developer, builder, and financier, while cracking columns threaten structural collapse and financial ruin. Can the architect wearing multiple hats be liable for this project’s failures...
Why Copying Designs Could Cost You Your License
On a project where an architect copies another’s drawings without permission, detailing problems create leaks and fire hazards. Can an architect be liable for defects stemming from plagiarized plans?You’ll learn why copying someone else’...
Why an Architect’s Implicit Trust in a Builder-Developer Led to a Legal Nightmare
In a condo project where a brash developer cuts corners and ignores warnings, code violations force residents to evacuate their new homes. Can an architect be liable for these flaws when only hired to sign-off on lenders’ certificates?Di...
When “Following Orders” Conflicts with the Architect's Duty of Care
In a mid-rise office project, an architect’s risky plan to start construction on a 10-storey building based on a permit for 5-storeys, grinds to a halt when the building inspector issues a stop work order. Can the architect be liable for these ...
The $530,000 Claim That Almost Ruined a Retired Architect
In a small-town project for a charitable service club, a local contractor unilaterally swaps robust design elements for flimsy substitutes. The clubhouse ends up on the verge of collapse decades later. Can an architect be held liable for this f...
Why Proper Site Visits Could Save Your Career
In a lavish mansion project where a tycoon client calls the shots and takes a cavalier approach to site supervision, a fire reduces everything to ashes except for a lone fireplace. Can an architect be held liable for this blaze when they weren’...
The Windowless Wall and 8-Foot Ceilings: The $1M Claim That Started Without a Permit
This “classic” episode from our first season has been re-edited for the benefit of our newest listeners, as a way to keep these evergreen lessons alive, We hope you enjoy listening to this story as much as we do presenting it to you...
“Who’s in Charge?” – The Historic Masonry Disaster That Cost Everyone
This “classic” episode from our first season has been re-edited for the benefit of our newest listeners, as a way to keep these evergreen lessons alive, We hope you enjoy listening to this story as much as we do presenting it to you...
The Septic Field That Turned Their Dream Home into a Recurring Sewage Pit
This “classic” episode from our first season has been re-edited for the benefit of our newest listeners, as a way to keep these evergreen lessons alive, We hope you enjoy listening to this story as much as we do presenting it to you...
“This Isn’t Florida”: The Board’s Fateful Words That Left Seniors Fainting and One Architect on the Hook
This “classic” episode from our first season has been re-edited for the benefit of our newest listeners, as a way to keep these evergreen lessons alive, We hope you enjoy listening to this story as much as we do presenting it to you...
The Claims-Free Architect Season 4 Trailer (2025)
Have you ever faced a claim that turned your architectural vision into a legal nightmare? Do the hidden risks of your practice haunt you? A single misstep—like a contractor’s error, a language barrier, or a neighbor’s grievance—can jeopardize y...
When An Improper Fireplace Installation Causes A Ski Lodge Inferno
In a building project where an Architect’s role has been marginalized, and where the chain of command is generally confused, can the Architect still be held responsible for errors by others that lead to catastrophe?You’ll learn that even...
How Ignoring The Neighbour's Runoff Resulted In A Paint Shop Flood
What sort of problems arise when Architects and Engineers are unfamiliar with the physical context of a building site? How can they work together to ensure that things such as site drainage are adequately dealt with?When Architects fail ...
When A Millwork Schedule Typo Leads To A $200,000 Mistake
How can a simple typographical error in a millwork order lead to a financial and logistical nightmare, not to mention the heartbreak of trashing 180 custom-made cabinets? Architects don’t normally assume responsibility for ordering ...
How A Mould Expert Worsened Damage From A Faulty Sprinkler Valve
When experts with questionable incentives make a simple problem worse by recommending drastic solutions, who is responsible for picking up the tab?You’ll learn how a faulty valve caused major water damage to a new building. And when a to...
When a 25-Tonne Precast Wall Crashes Down, Who's Responsible?
When a major building component, such as an exterior wall, fails during construction, who was supposed to check the shop drawings?The cause of the near-tragedy becomes obvious, only after the wall has fallen over - it hadn’t been tied in...
What Happens When An Unreasonable Client Demolishes Completed Work?
If an Architect provides better quality cladding materials than those the client requested, can the Client order those materials to be replaced at the Architect’s expense? You’ll learn that unreasonable clients and guilt-ridden arch...
