Chartered Institute for Archaeologists 2022

PROFESSIONAL ARCHAEOLOGY | A GUIDE FOR CLIENTS 2022 5 I N T R O D U C T I O N Archaeology adds value to business and society. We are sending this guide to colleagues in the many professions that archaeologists work with. If you know you need an archaeologist, or think that one day you might, this guide will help you maximise that value added. Archaeology done well, as the case studies here show, can bring many benefits. Planned late or executed poorly, it can involve unnecessary costs, delays, compliance issues and reputational damage. Archaeology is a complex subject: getting it right, and delivering social and commercial value is not easy. A guide like this can’t give you all the answers. Fortunately, there are professionals who can manage the opportunities and complexities for you. Using accredited archaeologists assures you that the work will meet your needs and the needs of the public. This is the second yearly version of a client guide. This year, the focus is on buildings archaeology, a specialist discipline within the archaeological family that brings its unique skills to bear on some of the larger, more visible and more familiar assets that archaeologists work with. As the guide explains, buildings archaeologists can show you how a building was used – how it worked – and how it can work again. Those seeking new uses, a new life, for an old structure, may be surprised by how much change it can absorb without losing its character, and how little change it may need to breathe again. We hope that the case studies show the value of involving a buildings archaeologist at the outset of design, or earlier. What may feel like a requirement, or a process of recording what is to be lost for an unidentified posterity, should be seen as an investment. The buildings archaeologist can help you find an adaptation that is more valuable, more sympathetic, more respectful of the building’s history and of its neighbours, and more sustainable – one that creates a more pleasant place to work, live or play. Finding an approach that is good for the environment, works for longer, makes nicer places and can generate more money – that’s not a bad investment. Don’t miss out on success or jeopardise your scheme by commissioning an organisation that isn’t on the CIfA Register, or an individual archaeologist who isn’t professionally accredited by CIfA! We hope you enjoy this guide to professional archaeology. Peter Hinton MCIfA Chief Executive, CIfA