Deborah Kirk

Experience 

Deborah is accredited by the Royal Incorporation of Architects in Scotland (RIAS) as an expert witness and sits on the Register of Experts with the Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA). She has considerable experience of preparing and assisting in expert reports. Deborah is also on the RIAS panel of adjudicators and has acted as adjudicator in construction disputes.

Previously, Deborah acted as an Inquirer for the Architects Registration Board (ARB) and more recently has become an architect member on the Professional Conduct Committee (PCC) at the ARB. As part of her role as an architect member of the PCC, the PCC considers allegations of unacceptable professional conduct and serious incompetence against architects.

Deborah is also a Senior Examiner and Committee member with the Architects Professional Examination Authority in Scotland Ltd (APEAS). APEAS is responsible for setting and conducting the Examination in Professional Practice and Management for students of architecture prior to them becoming chartered architects. Deborah both examines students work and is part of the committee responsible for setting the questions for the written exam.

Deborah has worked extensively in both private architectural practice as a job-running architect and in design management within main contracting. She is experienced in working through the RIBA Plan of Work Stages from inception through to completion and handover. Her experience ranges from architectural appointments to feasibility studies, scheme designs, statutory approvals, production information, detailed specifications, report writing, and on-site construction works. 

Within her design management role, Deborah was also responsible for developing Contractor Design Portions (CDPs) for specialist architectural elements in conjunction with designers and sub-contractors. This extends to external envelope works such as metal, rainscreen, granite and ceramic cladding, as well as render, standing seam and single-ply roofing, brise soleil, windows, rooflights, curtain walling and unitised curtain walling. She is also well versed in developing the technical detail and NBS specifications of such external envelope systems as a job-running architect.

As part of her expert witness work, Deborah has opined on various matters such as:

• The services of an architect
• Whether practical completion had been reached on a construction project, defects and whether these were attributable to workmanship or design issues, the compliance or otherwise of various external cladding systems with statutory requirements
• What remedial works are required when there are defects or external cladding systems that do not comply with statutory requirements