Mr Marcal was commissioned to act as architect and project
manager for works to a luxury home, including the construction of a
"glass box on legs" cinema room and staircase in a pool
house. A case therefore forged out of austerity Britain.
However, the owners complained that the final design had developed
from "sleek modern to wonky industrial" without their
approval. Their claim included the costs incurred in
constructing this cinema box.
The case, Freeborn v Marcal, revolved around whether or
not Mr Marcal had redesigned the cinema box without telling the
owners and arranged for the construction of a cinema box which they
had not approved. The court gave guidance on the standard of care
required of architects and found the architect, in this case,
negligent for changing a design without the clients'
consent.
