Writing in a letter on Monday (16 December) seen by the AJ, the non-profit group Good Law Project told the industry regulator that it should take action against architects involved in the fatal refurbishment of Grenfell tower in 2016. It named Studio E co-founder Andrzej Jozef Maria Kuszell and lead architect Bruce Alexander Sounes in the complaint.The Good Law Project said: The complaint is that architects registered with ARB failed to act with the appropriate standard of care and in accordance with statutory guidance, which they owed as architects.We consider that the Phase 2 Report provides extensive evidence that the architects involved in the refurbishment of Grenfell Tower failed to adhere to the standards of professional conduct and practice expected of persons registered as architects under the Architects Act 1997.AdvertisementStudio E was found to have committed significant failings in multiple ways during the refurbishment of Grenfell Tower and bore a very significant responsibility for the disaster, the second report from the inquiry into the disaster found in September.The ARB said in the immediate aftermath of the report that it would consider the findings but had not announced any formal investigation against former Studio E staff, some of whom are still registered architects.A formal investigation is now under way, the AJ understands.In a statement to the BBC, the Good Law Project said the ARB had been slow to take action as the industry regulator and added: [The architects] may be held to account today [...] we, the bereaved families, will have to live with their mistakes for the rest of our lives.These architects were responsible for the architectural safety of our and our families homes. Yet none of their partners or employees had the relevant knowledge, experience or skills needed to work on a high-rise cladding project. They let us and our loved ones down.AdvertisementThe non-profit group, which signed the letter with the Fire Brigades Union, said future tragedies related to dangerous cladding could be avoided if its complaint is upheld by the ARB. The organisations said it would also give residents of other affected buildings the confidence to complain to the regulator.In a statement to the AJ, an ARB spokesperson said formal investigations have commenced into the architects involved in Grenfell Towers refurbishment to see whether they might be guilty of a disciplinary offence under the Architects Code.It continued: The Grenfell Tower fire was a national tragedy and is rightly considered one of the UKs worst modern disasters, and we are sensitive to the strong public interest of taking appropriate action without delay.The investigations must be conducted properly if they are to be effective, and can be complex, particularly when they take place in the background of potential criminal proceedings which must not be prejudiced.The ARB, which did not set out a timeframe for the investigation, added: It is ARBs policy to not comment on the detail of investigations until or unless they reach a public hearing of our Professional Conduct Committee, so that the Committee can make an independent decision based on the evidence available.Although no longer trading, Studio E has been in the voluntary liquidation process for four years after it began winding down in early 2020 an insolvency procedure that began during the second phase of the Grenfell Tower Inquiry.The Grenfell inquirys chair, Martin Moore-Bick, said in his final report that Studio E had taken an unduly narrow view of its responsibilities and operated under a fundamental misunderstanding about the nature of the job, which Moore-Bick said was symptomatic of a widespread failure within the wider profession.Other bodies criticised in the report included cladding manufacturers Kingspan and Arconic, which the report said had knowingly created a false market in insulation for use on buildings over 18m by claiming its product was successfully used elsewhere. Government deregulation was also heavily blamed.The Metropolitan Policesaid in Maythat no charges would arise over Grenfell before 2026 and that 19 companies and organisations, and 58 individuals were facing possible criminal charges.Possible offences include corporate manslaughter, gross negligence, manslaughter, fraud, violation of the Building Safety Act 1984 and misconduct in public office.Carter Clark, the liquidators for Studio E and representing architects Andrzej Jozef Maria Kuszell, and Bruce Alexander Sounes, have been contacted for comment.2024-12-18Gino Spocchiacomment and share