Building Surveying and Building Control

Cliff L’Aimable MRICS

Managing Director, Building Control Surveyors Ltd.

Cliff is the Managing Director of Building Control Surveyors Ltd in Essex, overseeing building regulation approvals and general surveying services. With 35 years of construction experience, he began in civil engineering, specializing in reinforced concrete and steelwork design. His leadership roles span diverse projects, such as London's Kings Cross regeneration, London Olympics 2012 sports arenas, high-rise developments, and healthcare facilities. As a registered party wall surveyor and former technical columnist for Trinity Mirror newspapers, he earned the title "Property Doctor." Cliff is an RICS Counsellor and actively participates in professional committees, such as the Association of Consultant Approved Inspectors (ABCA). He also chairs the ABCA Education Committee, contributing during a transformative period in building control. His commitment extends to past roles as regional Chair for the Chartered Association of Building Engineers, addressing professional development and event programming. Additionally, he served on committees like the Construction Industry Council's skills shortage committee and the RICS committee for disaster recovery & small Island initiatives. As a circuit presenter for RICS (Africa), he conducted training events during the adoption of new building regulation regimes in Africa. Cliff's multifaceted background includes being an ex-London District Surveyors Technical team committee member, showcasing his expertise as a technical script writer and presenter on construction-related subjects.

Helen McKeown MRICS

Director – Building Consultancy, AECOM

Helen is a Director, leading AECOM’s technical due diligence (TDD) and dilapidations service lines with more than 20 years post qualified experience across a broad range of building surveying including building pathology and project management. She speaks regularly at conferences on various topics and has developed and delivered internal training courses to enhance and build the skills of building surveying and engineering colleagues. She has delivered TDD and dilapidations instructions for major institutional investors and some of the largest firms and property companies in the world. Working across all sectors in the UK and across Europe, Helen has advised client on hotels, student accommodation, offices, logistics and specialist sub-sector logistics assets, as well as more esoteric assets such as arenas, pharmaceutical manufacturing, distilleries and theme parks, including assets being purchased with a view to conversion to life sciences labs. Helen has previously worked for JLL, Watts and Manchester based SME’s. Helen is an active member of the RICS and is an APC Assessor for the Building Surveying pathway. Her interests are in promoting diversity, equality and inclusion within the RICS.

Andrea Brown FRICS

Director, Tregantle Consulting

Ian Burton MRICS

Director, Building Surveying (South), Tetra Tech Limited

I am a Chartered Building Surveyor with more than 25 years’ experience in the Building Surveying field in both the United Kingdom and Hong Kong, where I worked for a decade. I hold dual professional membership with the Hong Kong Institute of Surveyors. Experienced in providing full range of Building Surveying services in both the commercial and public sectors. More recently focusing on the challenges brought about by the Grenfell Tower tragedy, providing FRAEW (PAS9980) services, in conjunction with our Fire Engineers, to assess and remediate high-risk residential buildings. I have previously been an APC assessor and am now delighted to have been appointed as a member of the Building Surveying and Building Control PGP, with the opportunity to given something back to the RCIS and shape its future direction.

Richard Cass MRICS

Director – Building Consultancy, CBRE Limited

I am a Chartered Building Surveyor and have worked principally in central London and EMEA for more than twenty years, plus a year in Australia. I specialise in technical due diligence and development monitoring based at CBRE’s London office. I also head the firm’s UK and Ireland best practice group for technical due diligence. I have been fortunate to work with a diverse range of clients and stakeholders, across all sectors, including the London landed estates, sovereign wealth funds and high-profile asset managers. and increasingly find that our advice is being sought on a global scale. I am delighted to have been successful in joining the RICS Professional Group Panel for Building Surveying and Building Control. Through my experience working outside of the UK, I have seen first-hand the challenges when the role of a RICS Chartered Surveyor is not commonly recognised or understood. The ambition of the RICS to set global benchmarks, such as the most recent Technical Due Diligence Professional Standard, is essential to ensure the relevance of the profession in a digital world without borders. I see this role as a fantastic opportunity to make a real positive contribution to the future direction of the RICS and to improving understanding and recognition of the surveying profession outside the UK. In my spare time, I enjoy dingy sailing on the Thames, coaching and supporting my local grassroots football teams, and chasing PBs at my local parkrun. My golden rule? Always look up in the city - you never know what you'll discover!

Gemma Cornwall MRICS

Director, Viridium

Gemma is the founder of Viridium, a planet-conscious building consultancy with a focus on sustainability and ESG. Combining building surveying with energy efficiency and sustainable building practices, her passion for sustainability saw Gemma create and develop the ESG service line within the multi-disciplinary practice she was then at, before moving on to start Viridium. In her role as Director at Viridium, Gemma has built strong client relationships as the go-to for sustainable project management and consultancy. She advises on energy efficiency upgrades and sustainability strategy within clients’ residential and commercial portfolios. Gemma has advised clients including CBRE IM, Industrials REIT, Mileway and LCN Partnership as well as individual property owners, tenants and pension funds.

Rob Luxford MRICS

Senior Building Control Surveyor, Hertfordshire Building Control

Rob Luxford is a Senior Building Control Surveyor for Hertfordshire Building Control. Starting out working for his father’s building firm he achieved a Postgraduate Diploma in Building Surveying from London South Bank University in 2012. Since then, he has gained many years of experience in Building Control for both the local authority and private sectors, working on a range of projects from high rise residential flats to new build film studios. As part of his role he enjoys training and mentoring junior surveyors in their career, and helping them gain chartered professional status. Rob also has a particular interest in fire safety and fire engineering and hopes to pursue this as a specialism in the future. Outside of work Rob enjoys being active and going walking, as well as football and cricket. He is also an avid film buff and enjoys regular trips to the cinema.

Mike Palmer FRICS

Chartered Building Surveyor, Bowen

Mike is a Chartered Building Surveyor with more than 30 years of experience and knowledge in the construction industry which include both private and public sectors. He is also a Chartered Construction Manager and a Chartered Building Engineer. Mike provides a full range of residential and commercial Building Surveying services as an employee for a long established firm of Chartered Surveyors. Mike specialises in Home Surveys, Commercial Building Surveys and Dilapidations, Building Pathology, Contract/Project Management and Construction Risk Management. He acts as a Principal Designer or a CDM Advisor on various projects and is a Registered Expert Witness and Valuer. Mike prepares Expert Witness Reports for arbitration and court proceedings in relation to matters and disputes involving Building Pathology/Defect Analysis and Construction Risk Management. Mike has been an active member of the RICS Marches Group in the past and is skilled at organising CPD events. Mike is currently evaluating training to undertake the role of a registered Principal Designer (Building Regulations) and hopes to conclude this task by the end of year.

Craig Ross MRICS

Senior Manager Safety and Security, Diriyah Gate Development Authority

Craig Ross is a Scottish Chartered Building Surveyor with 27+ years of experience. He began his career in 1996, gaining training and studying Architectural Technology at UHI Perth. He later earned a 1st Class Honours degree in Building Surveying at Napier in Edinburgh, while focusing on building surveys, new build design, and heritage projects. Later serving in the UK Armed Forces, he integrated building surveying with security and counterterrorism, earning a distinction in a Master's Degree at St. Andrews. Currently pursuing a PhD at CSTPV in St Andrews, Craig researches terrorism threats to heritage and implements security designs in the Middle East. Also a Chartered Building Engineer and member of engineering councils in the UAE and KSA, Craig is Associate Director, Safety and Security at Diriyah Company. Engaging in various RICS initiatives, he has served as APC Chair/Assessor, local Matrics Chair in Scotland and the UAE, and worked in a staff role as Associate Director for Built Environment for 2 years. His work at RICS involved collaborating with the UK Government, developing Guidance Notes, and contributing to fire safety programs. Craig emphasizes positive member engagement in elevating the profession and is happy to continue this in volunteering for the Building Surveying and Building Control PGP.

Rosemary Silver FRICS

Associate Director, Avison Young

Rosemary Silver studied history at UCL, and then a post graduate qualification in surveying to become a chartered surveyor. She has worked as a building surveyor since then and currently works in the City of London office of Avison Young, (formerly GVA). Rosemary carries out pre acquisition surveys, inspections of buildings for dilapidations and administers building contracts. Recent projects include monitoring a two year external renovation project at Liberty’s department store, administering central London building contracts for external works and decorations to blocks of flats, making planning applications for listed buildings and a large roofing project in Exeter. in March 2023 Rosemary joined Marion Ellis FRICS to publicise Women In Surveying (WIS), a networking group for female chartered surveyors and women undertaking surveying studies and APC training. On 7 December 2023 Rosemary organised an event for WIS with Marion Ellis, on ‘Sustainable Construction and Sustainable Fashion’ with a fashion show using designer pre worn clothing from PopUp 38 charity shop. The event sold out with 130 attending and around £1,000 was raised for Lapis Lazuli Schools, who educate girls and boys in Kabul. Funds to build the schools and run them are raised by sales of sustainable fashion from PopUp 38. A fashion show with DJ first, for the RICS HQ! Rosemary is Deputy Chair of the London Branch of the National Association of Women In Construction (NAWIC), and in 2019 she organised a conference at the RICS HQ for 200 women with NAWIC. The recent changes to the RICS now encourage members to join and lead the organisation, so in July 2023 Rosemary applied to join the RICS London Board. She is now a member of the London Board and Building Surveying and Building Control PGP. It is her aim to increase collaboration and knowledge sharing, by networking with other RICS panels, lawyers, engineers and architects and inviting them into the RICS London HQ, which she believes should be the second home for chartered surveyors. As a member of the Building Surveying and Building Control Panel, her interests are in sustainable construction and improvements and knowledge sharing in fire safety, following the tragedy at Grenfell Tower.

Joshua Weston MRICS

Founder and Lead Director, Fourth Wall Building Consultancy

Josh Weston BSc (Hons) MRICS is Founder and Lead Director of Fourth Wall Building Consultancy. Coming from a family of building contractors, Josh has been involved in property from an early age, and brings a unique understanding of construction, surveying and consultancy to every project and professional instruction. Josh graduated from Sheffield Hallam University with a First Class Honours degree in Building Surveying. In 2022, he was awarded the prestigious RICS Young Building Surveyor of the Year award recognising his outstanding achievements, commitment to the profession and his passion for supporting young people into surveying. He has been featured in a number of industry, regional and national media titles as a highly regarded voice in the property industry. Working for world leading firms across the UK such as Lambert Smith Hampton and Jones Lang LaSalle, Josh developed an in-depth knowledge of property and construction projects of all shapes and sizes in both the residential and commercial sectors, before setting up his own practice in 2020. Josh brings together knowledge, experience and a passion for real estate to every project and has more than 10 years’ experience working within consultancy and construction.

Joanne Williams MRICS

Historic Building Surveyor – Historic Building Climate Change Adaptation, Historic England

Joanne is a Conservation Accredited Building Surveyor working in the Technical Conservation department at Historic England. Her experience ranges from working across a variety of estates and building typologies for the National Trust and Winchester College Boarding School. She specialises in risk, regulations and adaptation of historic buildings to climate change and sits on government, BSI and IHBC working groups. She is also mentoring others in the profession to obtain their MRICS status and Conservation Accreditation with the RICS.

Neil Wotherspoon FRICS

Senior Director, Tuffin Ferraby Taylor (TFT) Ltd.

Neil’s areas of expertise are Development Monitoring, Technical Due Diligence (TDD) and Dilapidations. He also has a keen interest in Sustainability. He is a Senior Director and head of TFT’s Edinburgh office and part of the firm’s TDD, Dilapidations and Fire Safety working groups. He is a member of the Scottish Property Federation Building Standards and Sustainability Committee. He is also a Scotland Board Member for LandAid. Neil’s principal instruction is the Project Monitoring of St James Quarter, Edinburgh, a mixed-use development in the heart of Edinburgh, on behalf of the investors, APG and Nuveen. Neil’s involvement started at the construction contract stage in October 2016. The leisure and retail element of the development was completed in 2021, with the other elements (Hotel, Residential, Cinema and Aparthotel) due for completion by the end of 2023. Development costs are in the region of £ 1 billion and comprise 850,000sq ft of retail, a 214-room Hotel, a Cinema, Aparthotel and 152 Residential Apartments. Neil has previously worked for Watts and Aecom (Davis Langdon) in Edinburgh and London. Neil’s Twitter (X) bio describes him as a ‘Poor golfer, slow runner, commuting cyclist, surprisingly quick swimmer, tired father of twin daughters, keen photographer and above-average building surveyor. https://www.linkedin.com/in/neil-wotherspoon-9b40a916/

Jaspal Virdee-Dhanjal

Jaspral has over 33 years Building Control experience within both the public and private sectors. Having worked in the London Boroughs gaining wide experience of both residential and commercial buildings, she joined BAA Building Control Services and became a Team Leader for Terminal 1, 2, 3 and 4 based at Heathrow Airport. Jaspral joined AIS in 2007 as an Associate and became a Director of AIS in January 2008 and led the technical assurance team. Following this, she worked with TFL in liaison with the delivery of Crossrail. Jaspral has been active within the RICS Building Control Faculty and has focused her efforts on members’ personal development and training. She also had the role vice chair of the Building Control Professional Group and on the Editorial board for the RICS Building Control Journal. Jaspral also reviews and implements the competencies for the RICS /CABE APC and is an assessor on the panel for the professional interviews. Jaspral has contributed to ‘Knights Building Control Law’ on Inner London Statutory Laws impacting on Building Control. Jaspral’s current role is with Assent Building Control as an Associate for the Middlesex Office. She enjoys enabling and encouraging professional growth/teaching. Outside of work, she enjoys the gym.