Architects are supposed to turn dreams into realities — not the stuff of nightmares.

Unfortunately, for one Florida development group, the architect it hired to develop its high-ticket high-rise in the Edgewater neighborhood of Miami turned out to be highly negligent.

The development group responsible for the project alleges that its architect fell far short of even reasonable expectations after agreeing to take on the design of the 90-unit building that’s known as “The Crimson”:

— The architectural firm failed to coordinate plans with the general contractor on a regular basis.

— It also didn’t respond to the general contractor’s messages, requests for more information or requests for changes.

— It didn’t provide a continuity of service among its staff, which alone can cause major communication issues on a construction project.

— It also gave the general contractor drawings and specifications for the project that were either inconsistent or incomplete.

— Some of the specific problems with the designs ended up requiring major structural changes to the building and included errors like designing stairs that were the wrong height.

The construction company acting as the general contractor was so delayed because of the lack of communication, inept designs and overall revisions that it suffered delays in its schedule and increased construction costs. Those were all charged back to the developer.

The Crimson still remains unfinished. That means that the developer is likely going to have to incur the cost of hiring a replacement architect. Between that, the charges from the general contractor and the lost revenue the developer has likely had from the building not being available for rental when expected, the requested damages are likely to be significant — although right now, the exact dollar figures are unknown.

Construction negligence is a highly specific area of the law. If you have a situation where you are facing substantial losses because of problems either with your general contractor or your architect, contact an attorney with experience in this area for advice.

Source: The Real Deal, “Developer McKafka sues architect, alleging construction delays and defects at the Crimson,” Francisco Alvarado, April 17, 2017