Chartered Institute for Archaeologists 2022

G U I DA N C E F O R C L I E N T S PROFESSIONAL ARCHAEOLOGY | A GUIDE FOR CLIENTS 2022 7 Archaeologist excavating post-medieval structural remains ©Iceni Projects ARCHAEOLOGY AND THE HISTORIC ENVIRONMENT: A QUICK INTRODUCTION Our environment is changing rapidly. Environmental change is affecting where and how we live: our cities are growing and the way we travel and produce energy are being revolutionised through major infrastructure projects. We need our economy to grow, we face pressure for space, we are confronted by technological, cultural and social change, and we want to steward our natural and historic environment. The historic environment is all around us. It has been shaped by people, interacting with the natural environment, over thousands of years. It is made up of a landscape of fields, routeways, villages, towns and cities, of buildings and monuments and the objects they contain. It ranges from the mega to the nano scale, from vast river systems to fragments of DNA. And it exists above and below ground and under water. Archaeology is the approach and processes by which we evidence from the historic environment, understand what this evidence means, and show how it can be used. It reveals how people have created and reacted to environmental and other changes, and how they have adapted where and how they live to meet to the opportunities and challenges those changes bring. Some strategies and some places have succeeded; others have not. We can learn from them. This year’s client guide focuses on one of the most visible elements of the historic environment: buildings. It illustrates how a specialist discipline, buildings archaeology, analyses buildings and demonstrates how and why people built, used and changed them. Buildings archaeology can show how a building worked , and how it could work again. Crucially, whether dealing with older structures designed for a low- carbon economy or more recent edifices from an energy- hungry era, buildings archaeology can show how much adaptation a building could take if desired, and often how little change it needs to be put to full economic use. The following pages present case studies that highlight the broad application of buildings archaeology. They show the breadth of skills and knowledge that buildings archaeologists offer. Each case study shows that understanding is the primary focus of the buildings archaeologist. Understanding incorporates not only an appreciation of the significance of the historic building, but also an interpretation of how it may have influenced or have been influenced by its local and national context. A buildings archaeologist can assist the stakeholders in a historic building or area to understand its values and how they contribute to significance. This includes communal value. Community is partly manifested through a city or town’s heritage assets, many of which house important local services, such as libraries, and businesses or projects. The historic environment is part of the fabric of day-to- day existence, and it contributes significantly to people’s quality of life. It is on this understanding that a buildings archaeologist engages with all types of clients and assists in the development of proposals for historic buildings. The archaeologist’s input enables those proposals to be informed by an interrogative, robust and thorough assessment of significance and an understanding of the opportunities and constraints it presents, and to be focused on sustainable and viable uses which benefit communities. We hope that the following case studies illustrate some of the contributions brought by an archaeological approach to understanding buildings, and inspire those who are responsible for finding new uses for old structures to seek advice and support from a CIfA-accredited professional. It needs expertise and professionalism to find and study the information locked up in the historic environment, and to exploit its full potential. This guide tells you when and how to find to professional archaeologist you can trust to meet your needs and the needs of the public. You may be seeking archaeological expertise as ▪ a national or international government department or agency ▪ a private developer or contractor ▪ a landowner ▪ a local authority ▪ a public-sector body ▪ a local community or ▪ another private organisation. You need a professional archaeologist if ▪ you are carrying out investigations before purchasing a development site ▪ you are working within the planning process and you need someone to help you meet a planning condition ▪ you are developing a project within your local community ▪ you own a historic site or visitor attraction ▪ you are developing a programme of research or education.