I would like to hear your opinion

Hello everyone,
we are currently building a house with construction company X. We received the approved building permit a few months ago. We only wanted to clad the ground floor with facing bricks. Because of the building window, we decided to plan the bricks with a thickness of only 65mm. That’s what we told the architect. He then implemented this in the plans. As already mentioned, everything has now been approved by the city. When we wanted to order the bricks, Hagemeister informed us that a 65mm brick cannot stand on its own. Only from 90mm can the brick stand and it must then be anchored in the masonry. 65mm bricks could only be built onto an already solid wall. Now the architect has planned a cavity insulation in the execution plans, with Poroton bricks, soft insulation, and then the facing bricks.

I now believe the architect made mistakes in the plans. He could have told us that such a wall structure would not work. Now this architect wants to charge money for changing the plans. He claims the statics would have to be recalculated. I can hardly imagine that.

1. Shouldn’t the architect correct his mistakes for free?
2. How much would you pay for such a change?
3. Does the statics really have to be adjusted for this?

What do you think?

Best regards
Simon

Aren't curtain walls always anchored to the masonry?
If core insulation is not permitted, a 4 cm air gap must be left; with core insulation, this is often reduced to the gripping gap. There is also mineral wool as core insulation (it is soft, but I still wouldn't cuddle with it).
Alternatively, there are brick slips. These are, to my knowledge, only glued.
I must admit that I also wouldn't know how to deal with the architect...

Yes, the anchors are always used as I was told, but even with anchors, such a clinker thickness should not stand with 65mm, but only on a solid wall. With ETICS in between as we have, that is not the case. Therefore, at least 90mm. Here on page 9, last example. xxx.wienerberger.de/kleine-bauphysik-kunde-grundwissen.html Yes, normally the architect is responsible for proper planning. I strongly assume to be properly advised by the architect. Who knows what else might be lurking. I could also wish for a 1cm floor slab, and he would have to reject that too. That is what I would have expected here as well.

Was the architect commissioned according to HOAI? Perhaps can comment on this. From my layperson’s understanding of the law, I agree with you. The architect says that with 9 cm the statics would have to be recalculated because the weight of the facade / load on the wall would be different?

With whom do you have which contractual relationship?

The whole thing is handled by a construction service company. They then hired the architect. How he is paid I don’t know, as far as I understand he feels underpaid and justifies his sloppiness with that. Now this crazy guy wants 750 euros from me for the widening. I don’t yet know if I’ll do that. I could also just start building and then sue him for damages when it comes to the bricks.