Architectural & Engineering Services

August 1 of 2022, Phil Gerou retired from the day-to-day business of running an architectural firm. The firm 36-year-old firm was rebranded as Foothills Architects, Ltd. headed by Melissa L. Baker, AIA, a long time employee of Gerou & Associates and a capable successor. Foothills Architects has been given access to all computer files of our past proejcts to facilate a seamless transition for all our clients.

Cheri R. Gerou, FAIA, continues in her current position as State Architect for Colorado. The Office of State Architect (OSA) is statutorily responsible for the administration of state funded planning, construction, energy conservation and real estate transactions at state agencies and institutions of higher education. Additional responsibilities include: establishing policies and procedures, providing technical support and training, recommending the annual controlled maintenance statewide budget and state agency capital construction budget requests to the Governor’s Office of State Planning and Budgeting and the Capital Development Committee of the general assembly.

Expert Witness Services

Although stepping down from the business of architecture, Phil Gerou will continue to provide expert witessing and consultation. With a lifelong background in the construction industry, Gerou & Associates has developed budgets, secured financing, navigated complex approval processes and managed every facet of the construction process.  The firm has served as the general contractor on more than thirty construction projects including high-end residential projects, multi-family townhomes and office buildings.

Using his expertise in construction as well as in architecture, Phil Gerou has served as expert witness on numerous legal cases working with a number of attorneys from Denver to Boston to Jackson, Wyoming.  Construction issues usually deal with determining construction defects, especially as they relate to high-end residential and light commercial projects.  Having been general contractor on many large, fairly complex homes throughout Colorado, Gerou is quite familiar with the quality of construction expected and typical for these projects.  The Colorado Rockies present some unique climactic and geological issues which may not be familiar to some contractors or architects.

Working with the Colorado Department of Regulatory Agencies, the licensing agency for architects in the state, Phil has reviewed numerous of cases to determine quality of service and standard of care.  While these reports remain confidential, they provide the licensing board with expert testimony based on nearly 40 years of licensed practice in the state. 

In addition to purely legal concerns, Phil Gerou has unique expertise with ethical issues.  Having served on the American Institute of Architects National Ethics Council for six years, he was the hearing officer on cases throughout the country.  When publisher John Wiley & Sons prepared the 2008 Edition of the Architects Handbook of Professional Practice, they requested Phil to author the new chapter on “Ethics and Professional Conduct”.  The National Council of Architectural Licensing Boards (NCARB) also turned to Gerou to write a monograph entitled “Ethics and Professional Rules of Conduct: Distinction and Clarification”.  Both these publications can be viewed on this web site.