Buildings Archaeology Group

Background

The CIfA Buildings Archaeology Special Interest Group was reformed in 2003 to act as a forum for promoting the archaeological analysis, research, interpretation of standing structures.

Aims

The group aims to promote the analysis of the built environment and to raise awareness of approaches and methodologies to address the wider role of buildings archaeology with other professionals in built heritage sector by:

advising CIfA Advisory Council on issues relating to standing buildings and being consulted during the drafting of new recording guidelines and heritage legislation.
producing regular newsletters (two per year)
writing articles for the 'The Archaeologist' magazine
running training events (seminars, guidance and conference sessions)
developing links with associated heritage professionals
providing a forum for addressing the wider role of buildings archaeology within the built heritage sector

BAG tea break chats

The committee run regular informal chats about a range of key issues relating to buildings archaeology.

The next tea break is being held online on February 11 2025 from 12:30 until 13:15. This session will be a chance to come along and ask the committee questions, discuss your thoughts with other BAG members, network with people from across the Group, or just sit back with a cup of tea and enjoy listening to the conversation. These sessions count as 45 minutes of CPD if it meets objectives on your personal development plan.

To book your place and see full details about February's tea break chat, go to the booking page

Join the group

Membership is free to CIfA members through the Members area login. Those who are not members of the institute will need to pay an annual £10 fee and can join here

Facebook:like the Buildings Group on Facebook
LinkedIn: CIfA Buildings Archaeology Special Interest Group

Committee

Jeremy Lake (Chair)
John Mabbitt (Secretary)
Patrizia Pierazzo (Treasurer)
Alison Dickens (acting Newsletter Editor)
Amelia Allen
Amir Bassir
Lorna Goring
Seth Price
Franki Webb
Catherine Bell (Advisor)
Cathy Coutts (Advisor)

Specialist competence matrix

This specialist matrix is to assist applicants and the Validation committee to see where you demonstrate the grade applied for when working with buildings.

Previous events and publications

The CIfA Client Guide 2022 highlighted the economic and social benefit of archaeology. Its theme was buildings archaeology and development and there are case studies on industrial archaeology on Teesside, archaeology in the context of a listed building in the Lake District and a strategic approach to adaptive reuse. The Guide and case study links can be found on the Client Guide webpage.
What do buildings do for us? We contributed to an afternoon session at the 2021 Festival of Archaeology, with talks by Jeremy Lake, Catherine Bell, Bev Kerr and Esther Robinson Wild.
‘Stuck between a rock and a hard place’; Defining the role of the buildings archaeologist amongst our peers and the wider archaeological profession. This seminar at the 2021 CIfA Conference aimed to engage with the question of how we can better integrate with the wider archaeological profession, to encourage greater collaboration, and, as an extension, how we can promote buildings archaeology to the wider conservation industry and for others involved in planning for and discovering places.
Archaeological Building Recording: Processing and Archiving
22 June 2018 at Cressing Temple Barns - Talks were be given by Mark Barratt, Oasis Project Officer at Historic England and Louisa Matthews, Collections Development Manager at the Archaeology Data Service.

Background

Aims

BAG tea break chats

Join the group

Committee

Specialist competence matrix

Previous events and publications

Three-year plan

AGM minutes

Committee minutes

Newsletters

Papers

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