Murray Armes

Overview

Murray focuses on domestic and international adjudication, domestic and international arbitration and mediation of construction, engineering and complex infrastructure projects.  He trained originally as an architect but has specialised in the avoidance and resolution of disputes for more than twenty years.  He is a chartered arbitrator, certified mediator and included on the FIDIC President’s List of international adjudicators.  His practice has included instructions in Europe, Scandinavia, Africa, Middle East, Central and South East Asia and the Caribbean.

Murray has enjoyed a diverse and rewarding career in the international construction industry, where prior to setting up Armes-ADR he was the Founder and Managing Director of Sense Studio Limited which was acquired in 2021 by a large international consultancy.

As well as large building projects, Murray has developed specialist expertise in energy, transport infrastructure projects, including airports and metro rail projects and other major infrastructure projects, including tunnelling. He has been involved in litigation and both domestic and high-profile international arbitrations and as an expert witness in some of the world’s most complex and highest value disputes.  AS a DAB member he has an established track record in dispute avoidance.

Murray carried out his first architectural commission at the age of fifteen and went on to establish his own architectural practice in 1990 and worked on a wide range of projects around the world including the UK, Europe, Middle and Far East, and Africa. His project experience includes hospitals and healthcare theatres, railways, airports, universities, hotels, industrial, sports, leisure, listed buildings, retail and residential work, both in refurbishment and new build projects.

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In summary, DB and adjudication experience includes:

• Member of a six-person DAB for the ITER nuclear fusion project, France
• Member of a five-person DAB for the High Luminosity project for the Large Hadron Collider at CERN
• Member of a five-person DAB for a new EPR nuclear project in Scandinavia
• Chair of a three-person DAB for a power distribution project in Ghana for the Millenium Corporation
• Member of a three-person DAB for a foreign government project in South Sudan
• Member of a three-person DAB for a cutting edge commercial development in Iraq
• Sole DAB member for a new data centre at CERN
• Member of a three person DAB for a new ecological building at CERN
• Sole DAB ember for a new hospital and health care programme in Jamaica
• Appointed as DAB member to a metro rail project in Southeast Asia
• Appointed to a DAB for a dam project in Central Asia
• Appointed as DAB member for nuclear project in Europe
• Involved in DAB hearings in Europe, Middle East and Central Africa

Positions Held

• Mediator since 2009 in more than 50 meditations
• Adjudicator since 2003 in more than 100 adjudications
• FIDIC Certified Adjudicator (2009)
• Architect expert instructed in more than 350 domestic and international cases
• Chartered Arbitrator since 2009 and instructed in around 50 arbitrations, including domestic and international
• Past Region 2 President of the DRBF
• Past treasurer of Region 2 of the DRBF and past DRBF executive board secretary
• Member of Council of the Society of Construction Law
• Member of the Society of Construction Arbitrators
• Fellow of Prime Dispute
• Freeman of the Worshipful Company of Arbitrators
• Past committee member of the Kings College Construction Law Association
• FIDIC FCL President’s List Assessor
• Chair of the Institution of Structural Engineer Disciplinary Panel
• RIBA Disciplinary Panel
• RIBA Presidents Advisory Committee on Dispute Resolution

Country Experience

Abu Dhabi, Brazil, Chile, Dubai, Ethiopia, Finland, France, Georgia, Ghana, Hong Kong, India, Indonesia, Iraq, Isle of Man, Montenegro, Northern Ireland, Oman, Philippines, Qatar, Republic of Ireland Romania, Scotland, Singapore, South Sudan, Turkey, Vietnam

Languages spoken –  English

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Academic Qualifications

• BA(Hons)
• Diploma in Architecture with distinction
• MA in architecture with distinction
• MSc in Construction Law and Arbitration
• RICS Adjudication Diploma
• Dispute Resolution Board Foundation’s DRB/DAB practices and procedures training and the advanced chairing workshop (October 2004, San Francisco)

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Professional Qualifications

• Member, Royal Institute of British Architects
• Chartered Arbitrator, CIArb
• Fellow, Prime Dispute
• Member, International Chamber of Commerce (ICC)
• Member, London Court of International Arbitration (LCIA)
• Member, International Bar Association (IBA)
• Member, Dispute Resolution Board Foundation (DRBF 2003)
• Member, Adjudication Society (2004)
• RICS DAB panel
• CIArb Arbitration, Adjudication and DAB panel
• UK Adjudicators panel
• CEDR Adjudication panel
• Member ICC
• Member Association of Consulting Engineers

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Lecturing and Teaching

• Visiting lecturer for Stuttgart University ICPL Masters course
• DRBF training modules
• ICC international Mediation Competition (mediator and author of problems)
• Vis Moot, Vienna (arbitrator)
• Lecturer, Cambridge University architects professional practice course
• Kingston University architects professional practice course
• Lecturer on mediation for Barcelona Chamber of Commerce
• Training and seminars on Dispute Boards and FIDIC Contracts carried out on behalf of the DRBF in Cape Town, Johannesburg, Bucharest, Washington, Chicago, New York, London, Istanbul, Brussels, Paris, Barcelona, Bucharest, Doha, Bali, Jakarta, Genoa, Madrid, Sao Paolo, Rio de Janeiro, The Hague, Mexico City, Bogota, Lima, Tokyo, the UAE, Doha, Jakarta and Singapore.
• Speaker at FIDIC and ICC/FIDIC events in London, Paris, New York, Delhi, Istanbul, Brussels, Bogota, Edinburgh and Rome.
• Speaker at the IBA conferences in Washington (2016), Edinburgh (2017), Rome (2018), Berlin (2019) and Mexico City (2024), member of the working group on the IBA Site Visit Protocol (2024)
• Speaker at the South Africa Construction Forum 2018 and 2019
• Seminars for the Adjudication Society (London), Society of Construction Law (Dubai, Abu Dhabi and Lima), Chartered Institute of Arbitrators (London), the RIBA (London), the RICS (London), TECSA (London) and for various law firms.
• Joint organiser and contributor to the King’s College “Introduction to International Adjudication” symposium held in London in June 2011.
• International Nuclear Law association seminars in Aix-en Provence, and online
• Seminars for organisations in London, Dublin, Israel, the UK and Europe.
• Dispute Board Module for the Kings College FIDIC Summer School, London
• Murray delivers training workshops, conferences and seminars in Dispute Avoidance and Resolution, BIM, Risk Management, Dispute Boards and FIDIC contracts and has given seminars in the UK, USA, Europe, South Africa, Eastern Europe, Central and South America, Asia and the Middle and Far East. He has contributed many articles for academic journals, industry newsletters and professional guides and takes an active role as an academic tutor and participant in international mediation and arbitration competitions, for example, an active involvement in the annual Vis Moot arbitration competition as arbitrator and judge and the ICC International Mediation competition as mediator and judge, as well as the author of mediation problems. 

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Project Experience

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Publications

• “News & Views”, CIArb SE Branch newsletter, editor 2006-2009 and regular contributor during that period.
• “An Inspector Calls: Architects’ Site Visits”, article for Probyn Miers “Perspective” (2010).
• “AJ legal Handbook”, joint author of Chapter on Construction Legislation in England and Wales (2010, 2019 and 2021)
• “Prevention Better Than Cure”, article on dispute boards, Royal Institute of Chartered Surveyors “Construction Journal” (2010).
• “To Have and to Hold”, article about adjudication meetings for the Adjudication Society newsletter (2011).
• “All Have Won and All Must Have Prizes”, article for Construction Law Journal (2011).
• “The Concept of Dispute Avoidance”, paper given at the Kings College/DRBF conference “An Introduction to International Adjudication” in June 2011.
• “Putting Your Money Where Your Mouth Is, The Funding of Dispute Boards by the Multilateral Development Banks”, Construction Law Journal, 2013.
• “Dispute Boards: Counting the Cost”, DRBF Forum magazine, April-May 2015.
• Two chapters 11 & 12 for the RIBA publication “Being an Effective Construction Client”, 2016.
• Chapter 8 “FIDIC Dispute Board Rules” for “Imitational Contractual and Statutory Adjudication”, edited by Andrew Burr, 2017.
• Foreword for “A Practical Guide to Successful Construction Projects”, by Arent van Wassenaer, 2017.
• Chapter 8 of “International Contractual and Statutory Adjudication”, edited by Andrew Burr, 2017.
• Dispute Boards for Mega Projects, article for IBA Construction Law International journal, 2017
• “Angles”, Sense Studio newsletter (2012-2020).
• ICC Mediation Bulletin, contributor, 2020
• Collective Book for Gilberto Vaz, chapter on dispute avoidance2024
• IBA Protocol for Site Visits in International Arbitration (joint author 2023-24)
• A Practical Guide to Claims under the FIDIC Contracts (joint author on Chapter “Dispute Boards Practice and Procedure”, 2024)