Façade engineering

Independent façade engineering expertise for complex disputes

Façade systems are often at the centre of construction disputes, raising questions of design responsibility, technical compliance, workmanship, performance and professional duty. Our façade engineering expert witness team provides independent, well-reasoned evidence to help legal teams, clients and tribunals understand and resolve complex building envelope issues.

• Experience across façade design, construction and performance

  Our experts draw on decades of experience across the design, procurement, manufacture and construction of façade systems, grounding our opinions in how façades are designed, coordinated, manufactured and delivered in practice, as well as how they should perform in theory.

  Having worked across consultancy, specialist subcontractor, contractor and client-side environments, we understand the technical, commercial and contractual challenges of the building envelope. As a multidisciplinary practice, we also assess façade issues alongside architectural, fire engineering, structural engineering and MEP considerations, providing coordinated expert evidence where required.

• Specialist knowledge across façade systems and performance

  We advise on disputes involving the full range of building envelope systems, including curtain walling and rainscreen cladding, precast concrete façades, terracotta and stone systems, and glazing and fenestration.

  Our work also covers how these systems perform, from waterproofing and weatherproofing to fire and thermal performance. We regularly advise on product specification, testing and certification, technical compliance and remediation.

• Robust analysis of defects, responsibility and compliance

  Façade disputes frequently involve overlapping questions of design adequacy, specification, procurement, installation, testing and system performance. We are regularly instructed on defects and failures, including water ingress and weatherproofing performance, and on the design responsibility and technical compliance that sit behind them.

  We also advise on external wall systems and cladding, covering fire safety and façade performance alongside product specification, testing and certification. Our instructions regularly extend to workmanship and installation defects, procurement and contractual obligations, professional negligence claims, and remediation and replacement strategies.

  To establish the facts, our experts examine the full project record, from drawings, specifications and calculations to testing evidence, inspection records, contract documentation and site information. They then give independent opinion on causation, responsibility and compliance, distinguishing between design, manufacturing, procurement and installation issues. That distinction is often fundamental to the outcome of a dispute.

• Clear reports and practical advice

  Clients instruct us because we combine deep technical expertise with extensive practical experience of façade delivery on complex projects. Our reports are clear, concise and accessible, explaining technical issues in a logical, structured way for technical and non-technical audiences.

  Whether providing early-stage advice, preparing CPR Part 35-compliant reports or supporting litigation, arbitration, adjudication and mediation proceedings, we deliver independent, balanced and robust façade engineering evidence that helps clients, legal teams and tribunals resolve disputes with confidence.