Expertises/Forensic/Judicial · Contradictory · Amicable

Facade expert witness& forensic expertise.

Facade expert witness work encompasses three complementary registers : judicial expertise (court-appointed), contradictory expertise (mandated by an insurer or a lawyer to defend or contest a position), amicable expertise (negotiation between parties to resolve a dispute before litigation). Our atelier operates as an independent technical third party on complex facade incidents (water infiltration, structural cracking, thermal and hygrothermal disorders, glass and glazing failures). Technological neutrality and industrial grounding make the investigation receivable before the parties, the insurer and the court.

Facade forensic expertise, on-site inspection from elevated platformPL.029 · Forensic
01 / 02On-site inspection of a facade in dispute.
© S&P · Sprint 3
01Plate 01 / 07, Types

Types of expertise.

Three intervention modes structure the practice : judicial (court), contradictory (insurer/lawyer), amicable (between parties).

01 / 01Mode

Judicial expertise.

Court appointment, mandatory contradictory, central report.

Appointment by a civil, commercial, administrative or arbitral jurisdiction. Mission strictly framed by the appointment order (scope, questions to instruct, report deadline). Mandatory contradictory opening with all parties. Production of an expert report that becomes a central document of the litigation file. The court-appointed expert remains independent from the parties; fees are taxed by the jurisdiction.

Frame
Appointment orderOutput
Pivot report
CourtCPCIndependent
02 / 02Mode

Contradictory expertise.

Insurer/lawyer mandate, defend or contest a position.

Mandated by an insurer, a lawyer, an owner or a company to defend or contest a technical position in an ongoing dispute. Contradictory expertise is conducted facing one or several other experts appointed by other parties. Contradictory reports are then confronted in judicial expertise or arbitration.

Profile
Insurer · counselFrame
Ongoing dispute
InsurerLawyerDispute
03 / 03Mode

Amicable expertise.

Joint mandate, settlement without litigation.

Jointly mandated by two or more parties seeking to resolve a dispute without going to litigation. The amicable expert produces a technical report that serves as the basis for a settlement or a protocol. Preferred mode on facade disputes where continuation of the site is urgent and where parties have interest in avoiding a long procedure.

Speed
No litigationOutput
Shared protocol
JointSettlementProtocol
§ From mode to matter
Three modes structure the practice. Reaches the question of on which pathologies they apply: four disorder families mobilise the bulk of missions.
02Plate 02 / 07, Pathologies

Facade pathologies we investigate.

Four pathology families mobilise the majority of our expertise missions : water infiltration, structural cracking, thermal disorders, glass failures.

Forensic analysis, glass fragment and EPDM joint on reconstruction planFIG. 02 · Forensic
02 / 02Glass fragment + EPDM joint on reconstruction plan.
© S&P
01 / 04Water

Infiltration & waterproofing

Opening frames, expansion joints, shell interfaces, balcony thresholds.

Associated disorders : interior mould, finish degradation, corrosion of hidden anchorages. Investigation : infrared thermography, AAMA 501.2 / ASTM E1105, pressurisation. Causes : detail design, installation, silicone joint ageing, unforeseen differential movements.

AAMA 501.2ASTM E1105
02 / 04Structure

Structural cracking

Glazing laminated/tempered, profiles, anchorages, primary structures.

Causes : excessive thermal stress, installation tolerances, fabrication defects (NiS inclusions, heat-soak EN 14179). Aluminium profiles : corrosion, fatigue, extrusion. Anchorages : loads, differential expansion, seismic.

EN 14179NiS
03 / 04Hygrothermia

Thermal disorders

Persistent condensation, film delamination, laminate failure.

Causes : air-tightness defect, untreated thermal bridges, vapour management. Low-E films delaminating under thermal stress. Laminate delamination (interlayer, moisture). EPDM/silicone joint ageing under UV and cycling.

GlaserWUFI
04 / 04Glass

Glass failures

NiS spontaneous breakage, delamination, optical defects.

Nickel sulphide inclusions not eliminated by heat-soak. Anisotropy, visual distortions. Scratches, micro-impacts, low-E coating corrosion exposed to humidity.

NiSHeat-soak
03Plate 03 / 07, Methodology

Expertise methodology.

The methodology unfolds in five phases structured per procedure requirements (judicial, contradictory or amicable).

01
Contradictory opening and mission framing

Convocation of parties. Review of the available technical file (drawings, specifications, shop drawings, test reports, site photographs, contractual correspondence). Identification of technical questions to instruct. Definition of investigation scope.

02
On-site investigations

Documented visual inspection. In-situ tests: infrared thermography, AAMA 501.2, ASTM E1105, pressurisation, acoustic measurements per pathology. Component sampling for laboratory analysis (glass, silicone, EPDM, metal).

03
Laboratory analyses

Physico-chemical analyses per pathology: spectrometry on interlayers, metallographic analysis on anchorages, mechanical testing on glazing. Independent laboratory reports appended.

04
Cause analysis

Reconstruction of the causal chain from design to observed disorder. Identification of contractual responsibilities (design team, general contractor, facade contractor, manufacturer, inspection body). Quantification of damages: repair costs, indirect costs, use impacts.

05
Expertise report

Contradictory technical report: facts, investigations, analyses, retained causes, identified responsibilities, recommended repairs, quantifications. Compliant with formal requirements of the procedure (judicial report per CPC or equivalent, contradictory report per insurance practice, amicable report per protocol).

04Plate 04 / 07, Who we serve

Who we serve.

Five commissioning profiles regularly mobilise our expertise missions : institutional owners, high-end residential condominiums, insurers, courts, construction lawyers.

01 / 05Institutional

Institutional owners

Real estate funds, commercial real estate funds, local authorities, large corporations for their headquarters.

Facade expertise serves the defence of the owner's contractual position vis-à-vis contractors, or the instruction of an incident for activation of the decennial warranty.

DecennialREIT
02 / 05Condominium

High-end condominiums

Condominium associations and resident boards on signature or heritage buildings.

Expertise serves collective defence against a developer, a contractor or an insurer.

AssociationBoard
03 / 05Insurer

Insurance companies

Builder's all-risk insurers, decennial, professional liability.

Contradictory expertise assesses incident qualification, instructs responsibility and quantifies repairs.

DecennialPL
04 / 05Court

Courts & arbitration

Civil, commercial, administrative jurisdictions, ICC arbitral tribunal, Swiss Chambers, DIS.

Judicial expertise is then the principal mission, on court appointment.

ICCSwiss ChambersDIS
05 / 05Lawyer

Construction lawyers

Firms specialised in construction and real estate.

For litigation file preparation or contradictory defence before an opposing expert.

LitigationDefence
05Plate 05 / 07, Deliverables

Deliverables and reports.

Per procedure, six standard deliverables structure missions.

01 / 06Judicial

Judicial expert report

Structured per Code of Civil Procedure requirements (France), CCP (Switzerland) or equivalent procedure.

Fully contradictory with the parties, with attached dires (party submissions).

CPCCCP
02 / 06Contradictory

Contradictory expertise report

Technical and legal argumentation for the insurer, lawyer or owner.

Usable in litigation.

Litigation
03 / 06Amicable

Amicable expertise report

Synthesis document shared between parties.

Serves as basis for a documented settlement, without litigation.

Protocol
04 / 06Tests

Test protocol

Definition of investigations to conduct, with applicable standards.

AAMA, ASTM, EN per pathology and jurisdiction.

AAMAASTMEN
05 / 06Quantification

Damage and repair quantification

Direct and indirect costs, including contractual impacts on warranties.

Quantification of damages: repair costs, indirect costs, use impacts on the building.

CAPEXWarranties
06 / 06Annexes

Documented annexes

Independent laboratory reports, dated photographs, dimensional surveys.

Comparative analyses against applicable standards. Pieces opposable to the parties.

LabPhotos
06Plate 06 / 07, Distinction

What sets us apart.

Three elements structure our facade expertise practice : real failure modes knowledge, strict technological neutrality, systemic practice.

Industrial grounding, founder formula

Seventeen years in the envelope industry, including several years in pre-construction with a Tier-1 international contractor in glass envelope works.

This experience gives direct knowledge of the real failure modes of modern facades, where theoretical pathology learned from documentation remains partial. We have seen disorders emerge on projects ; we know how to trace real industrial and contractual causes.

01 / 02Neutrality

Strict technological neutrality

No affiliation facade contractor, glass manufacturer, system supplier, inspection body.

Expertise is conducted without commercial bias that could compromise its receivability before the parties, the insurer or the court.

Zero affiliation
En savoir plus
02 / 02Systemic

Systemic practice

Pathology rarely attributable to a single cause.

Typical combination : design defect + execution drift + material ageing + unforeseen differential movements. Our capacity to hold these complex technical causes together and to qualify contractual responsibility (FIDIC, SIA 118, CCAG, Civil Code, Swiss Code of Obligations) makes the expertise defensible over time.

FIDICSIA 118
07Plate 07 / 07, Confidentiality

Confidentiality.

Facade expertise missions are conducted under strict confidentiality rules.

Confidentiality discipline

Systematic NDA with the commissioner. Dossier isolation : no parallel intervention for an actor in conflict of interest (company involved, opposing insurer, etc.). Respect for judicial-instruction secrecy when the mission is ordered by a court. No public reference or communication without written consent of the entitled parties.

08Plate 08 / 08, Articulation

Continue reading.

Six canonical entries to calibrate an expertise mission or combine it with other registers.

01 / 06Diagnostic

Systemic diagnostic

Upstream technical read of an existing envelope.

Pathology
En savoir plus
02 / 06Glass

Structural glass & Jumbo Glazing

DIN 18008, EN 16612, up to 3.2 × 18 m.

DIN 18008
En savoir plus
03 / 06Core

Technical engineering

Structural, thermal, computational, interface design.

SIA
En savoir plus
04 / 06Claim

Claim Management & Arbitration

Contractual handling of technical disputes.

ClaimArbitration
En savoir plus
05 / 06Doctrine

Technological neutrality

No hidden commission, open arbitration.

Zero affiliation
En savoir plus
06 / 06Profile

Owners & investors

Value protection, asset engineering, independent audits.

Asset
En savoir plus

A facade expertise mission to instruct?

A judicial, contradictory or amicable facade expertise to instruct (infiltration, cracking, thermal disorder, glass failure). Describe the context, the ongoing procedure if any, and the involved parties. Confidential exchange, systematic NDA from the first sensitive message.

Expertise brief
Shili & PartnersA Shili Build Ventures company