Sunshine Coast building designer convicted of posing as an architect

The Board of Architects Queensland took Christopher Peter Clout, along with his company Chris Clout Design, to court in June over allegations links on his website and a book of his designs presented him as an "architect" instead of "building designer".

Court documents show Mr Clout was accused of offering services which included architecture, despite not being a registered architect.

Based in the Noosa suburb of Castaways Beach, Mr Clout's beach and tropical-style houses can sell for millions.

The case went to trial in November, and on November 15 the magistrate found Mr Clout and his company guilty of 'holding out' as an architect and architectural company between June 7, 2017, and February 28, 2018.

Under the Queensland Architects Act 2002, it is an offence for unregistered people and companies to claim to be architects or provide architectural services if they are not registered with the Board of Architects Queensland.

Mr Clout argued in court that he never intended to mislead anyone and had never claimed to be an architect.

The Board of Architects Queensland had already warned Mr Clout in 2015 of evidence that indicated he could be 'holding out' as an architect, the court heard.

Mr Clout was fined $20,000 and ordered to pay $10,000 in court costs, while his company Chris Clout Design Pty Ltd was fined $30,000 and ordered to pay $20,000 towards the board's legal and investigations costs.

Board of Architects Queensland chairman Bruce Medek said anyone seeking to hire an architect could check if they were registered on the board's website.

“Every year, tens of thousands of Queenslanders, companies and institutions, rely on architectural services for their projects," Mr Medek said.

"It is important that they can have confidence that anyone using the title ‘architect’ or otherwise claiming or ‘holding out’ to them as being an architect has the necessary qualifications and experience to ensure their objectives are met.”