Archaeology and construction: good practice guidance

Archaeology is part of construction. The new CIRIA guidance Archaeology and Construction: good practice guidance (C799) is a comprehensive update on managing an integrated archaeology and construction process to deliver significant commercial and public value.

The guide outlines the relevant UK law and policy context. It shows how the planning system expects archaeology to create public benefits – not only in the form of new knowledge about the past but also by provide a wide portfolio of social, economic and environmental gains.  Practical advice and information are set out for each stage of construction, from feasibility and due diligence through to post-construction use. By addressing the interfaces between the archaeological and construction management plans, the guide demonstrates how archaeology is used to contribute directly to programme and cost efficiencies and create a unified safety, health and environment culture, as well as meeting wider performance targets, social value and sustainability goals.

Archaeology and Construction is supported throughout by good practice case studies. The accessible format reinforces key messages, and offers detailed checklists to help with practical implementation. The guide is applicable to all scales of projects on land and in the fluvial and intertidal zones.

Hear first-hand from the authors of CIRIA’s new publication Archaeology and construction: good practice guidance (C799), which is an update of C672, to discover how the successful management of archaeology as part of construction is integral to sustainable development.