The duty of architects to design fireproof buildings has been considered by the High Court in a case centring upon a factory fire. The fire, which began in a cooking area within the factory, destroyed most of the premises.
The factory had recently been refurbished, and the architect responsible for drawing up that scheme, Paskin Kyriakides Sands, was sued for negligence.
Judge Bowsher QC has now ruled that the architect must bear some of the responsibility for the fire.
He found that although the fire, which started in an area that was not protected by fire-resistant materials, started as a result of negligence on the part of those using the building, the architect, when designing the building, should have taken steps to guard against the possibility of negligence on the part of the occupants.
He held that the architect had failed to achieve this because it had failed to take sufficient fire-proofing precautions, and that, in those circumstances, it had to be viewed as having breached its duty of care.
Sahib Foods Ltd v Paskin Kyriakides Sands Technology & Construction Court (Judge Peter Bowsher QC) 3 March 2003.
References: PLS News 5/3/03
