Expert Witness Snapshot

A Chartered Architect, today Robert is managing director of ArchiFact Ltd, based in Yorkshire and Sussex, combing architectural practice with forensic investigation, litigation support, dispute resolution and expert evidence.

Beginning in 1968 as a surveyor, throughout his career Robert has worked on numerous planning & listed building restoration/renovation projects.

1977 Robert qualified as an Architect at the Architectural Association, London
1979 Became a member of RIBA
1974-1986 Milton Keynes Development Corporation as Development Control & Project Architect working on the shopping centre, housing and community buildings.
1986-1990 Leading practices Bickerdike Allen, Chapman Taylor and Gibberds, projects included office block and shopping centre refurbishments and major city centre projects in historic Worcester and Tunbridge Wells.
1991 Robert became a member of The Academy of Experts
1991- 2009 Working for J R Knowles, Robert developed and ran Knowles Construction Technology Ltd. Work included listed buildings, hospitals, apartment blocks, sheltered housing, private houses, commercial and industrial premises, involving different jurisdictions: Expert investigations and evidence prepared for disputes governed variously by regulations, standards and laws of: Channel Islands, France, Gibraltar, Netherlands, Hungary, Isle of Man, Poland, Scotland, Seychelles, Spain, England & Wales.

Robert has regularly prepared and delivered courses & seminars, including Building Defects, Building Regulations, CDM and the Role of the Expert Witness and was guest lecturer to an architectural engineering course at the University of Leeds. He has worked with the BRE and UMIST on pioneering investigations into the performance of various aspects of building construction and materials.

As an acknowledge international expert, Robert was invited by RIBA to write their book on building defects, providing a forensic approach to their prevention, diagnosis and cure. "Well Built? A forensic approach to the prevention, diagnosis and cure of building defects," was published by the RIBA in 2005. He has written dissertations on acoustics and articles for a number of trade publications.

Expert Appointments: Civil Litigation 29, Criminal Prosecutions 2, Arbitration 11, Adjudication 7, Expert determination 2, Mediation 8, Single Joint Expert 5, 68 others. These have covered variously: professional negligence, faulty construction, patent infringement, copyright infringement, non-compliance with statute, breach of contract, delay.

Most appointments have resulted in the resolution of the dispute, avoiding formal proceedings. Of those cases where formal proceedings were started, all but ten settled satisfactorily after disclosure of the expert evidence before the full hearing. Of those which proceeded to full hearings, one was decided without reference to expert evidence, the others were favourably concluded after the expert evidence was heard.