David Callin

Managing Director | Architect | Expert Witness

David is Managing Director with overall responsibility for the Cowan team. He has been part of the senior management team since 2014 and has seen the practice double in size during that time, helping to steer the practice through both good times and challenging times.

David is both a practising Architect and an Expert Witness advising the the High Court on accommodation matters where the Claimant has been injured and become disabled.

Architecture Experience

He is an RIBA Chartered Architect working in the UK on a range of project types and sizes. He has considerable experience in designing inclusive and accessible environments across many sectors including home-owner private clients, care homes and nursing homes, healthcare, developer residential, social housing, commercial, leisure and master-planning with project values ranging from £50k to £15m. Notable projects include:

• Facilities for high dependency patients and residents, including long-term hospital accommodation for adults with severe brain injury;
• Long-term residential accommodation for children, young adults, adults and elderly persons with learning disabilities and mental health disabilities;
• Rehabilitation and ‘stepping-stone’ facilities for young adults with learning disabilities;
• Rehabilitation and ‘stepping-stone’ facilities for adults with severe brain injuries; and
• Numerous adaptations for individual clients to adapt their homes to meet their specific needs.

He has worked on, and been responsible for, the design and delivery of numerous homes for individual clients with specific needs, working closing with Court of Protection teams, Occupational Therapists, Care Managers and the client’s family to create fully accessible homes to meet the specific needs of the client and to suit varying degrees of disability.

He approaches each job by working closely with clients to ensure their design requirements are fully understood and met and he takes pride in a professional, practical and personal approach. When working with developer clients, David excels in creating efficient and cost effect designs that offer best value for the client whilst achieving exciting designs that appeal to their target market.

Expert Witness Experience

David’s architectural experience has allowed him to gain expertise in the provision of accessible accommodation for people with cognitive, behavioural, physical, and visual impairments. This experience has been gained through considerable research into the latest thoughts and theories on care as well the practical design and delivery of projects both in the public realm and in private homes.

David accepts expert witness instructions for accommodation needs in medical negligence and personal injury claims. He assesses the suitability of the current domestic situation of claimants reporting his recommendations for their future accommodation needs. He has gained particular expertise working with people who present with, inter alia:

• Severely disabled adults and children, in particular those with cerebral palsy
• Spinal injuries including paraplegia and quadriplegia
• Road traffic accidents
• Hypoxic brain injury
• Limb amputations

David undertakes the preparation of accommodation reports on behalf of both Claimant and Defendant, reporting on cases within the United Kingdom. David also undertakes Property Searches and prepares Suitability Reports to assist clients, their families and/or Court appointed Deputies to find suitable and appropriate properties.

As a chartered member of the Royal Institute of British Architects, David practises in accordance with the code of professional conduct and maintains his requirement for continuing professional development through attendance of seminars and conferences worldwide with a particular focus on accessible design and best architectural practice.

Away from the office he is a keen cyclist and enjoys 5-a-side Monday night football, rugby (now watching rather than playing) and long walks in the Weald where he lives. David is based in our East Grinstead Office.