Record Drawings for Condominium Buildings

Some form of ‘record drawings” is often a requirement of most building projects.  However, they are mandated by the Condominium Act of Ontario.  Often, this results in last minute pressure from the Client or their lawyers to provide so called “as built” documents.  The Architect must not bow to pressure or provide “certification” or revised drawings that he or she cannot confirm.

 All drawings should be updated to include all “officially” issued Architectural Instructions or should include a complete set of those Instructions.  If the contractor/builder provides a set of marked up drawings showing “as built” information, this may be added to the drawings (typically as an extra service).  However, because the information was not provided or verified by the Architect, a disclaimer must be included on each drawing (see second proposed clause below).  At no time should such documents be referred to using the term “as built.” 

The Ontario Association of Architects Practice Tip Practice Tip PT. 14 deals with this issue in some detail.

The recommended wordings for the disclaimers are:

It is important that the architect not represent that the record drawings are claiming to be the way that the building was in fact constructed. The following sample statement placed on the record drawing illustrates this principle:

"The issuance of this record drawing is a representation by the architect that the construction, enlargement or alteration of the building is in general, as opposed to precise, conformity with the design prepared and provided by the architect, but is not a representation that the construction, enlargement or alteration of the building is in conformity with a design that has been prepared or provided by others."

It is recommended that a clear statement be made prominently on the record drawing disclaiming accuracy and completeness of information transferred from the contractor’s as-built drawings. The following statement is recommended for this use:

"The revisions to these contract documents, reflecting the significant changes in the work made during construction, are based on data furnished by the contractor to the architect. The architect shall not be held responsible for the accuracy or completeness of the information provided by the contractor."