Salmon, Thomas W. II, ASLA (The Westerly Group, Inc., Preservation Restoration
Consultants)
THE ARCHAEOLOGICAL NEEDS OF THE DESIGN PROFESSION COLLABORATIONS
Architects, landscape arohitects, architectural historians and other members of
the design and construction industry who specialize and engage in historic preservation
or restoration all have, at one time or another, felt a need for the assistance
of the professional archaeologist. This need is not easily met.
Client reluctance, agency restraints, protracted lead time and prior commitments
can attenuate or halt the investigatory phase of restoration/preservation design.
Problems such as site and structure chronology, historic construction sequences
and the identification of materials (more intimately, the texture and colors of
the structure's fabric and infrastructure) or the species, variety and placement
of former plant material require investigation by the archaeologist. Further,
his evidence and interpretation, ideally, should be used as substantiation and
reinforcement to the designer's initial research, conjecture and intuition.
Presently, most design professionals do not have the informational and laboratory
resources available which are required to carry out extensive scientific examinations
of sites and features, nor do they possess reliable standards to make comparisons
in the examination of ecofacts, building material such as; ceramics, metal, wood
or lithics as well as various feature attributes.
The designers approach is often to investigate as a means to an end; that being
to collect evidence for his or her current assignment and not to be necessarily
receptive to evidence of earlier archaeological features or artifacts, for example
pre-historic deposits, which may present themselves during the conduct of the
survey.
As we pointed out earlier, most practioners have been educated to a point where
they do not consciously carry out archaeological investigations other than through
simple, non-destructive means. However, occasionally construction activities in
the area (hitherto held as non-sensitive archaeological) will reveal features
or artifacts the recording and interpretation of which are clearly beyond the
scientific capabilities of the designer. Naturally, one does not expect that,
when summoned, the archaeologist will appear at the site like a fireman but, we
feel that there should be a place a network which would have an established proceedure
for such an occasion and other interdisciplinary cooperative needs.
Historic preservation/restoration design professionals do not want to usurp the
prerogative of the professional archaeologist. Designers, by tradition, work under
very stringent deadlines, even in restoration work. Most designers do not feel
that they can afford the indulgence (and it is considered by most to be an interesting
and pleasurable experience) of having an archaeological investigation mounted
as a precursor to the design process.
This practioner feels that if the disciplines concerned were mutually educated
to be alert to the concerns of their counterparts, a great deal could be accrued
by both sides.
This consultant would like to recommend that a series of articulations take place
between design professionals who are currently engaged in preservation/restoration
(or who anticipate involvement in such activity) and agency or private consulting
archaeologists for the purpose of constructing guidelines for an informational
network whose function would be the advance release of data relative to historic
site activity.
Several design organizations exist which could possibly provide participants and
be hosts for such articulations on a rotational basis: The Society of Architectural
Historians, American Society of Landscape Architects Committee for the preservation
of the historic Landscape, American Institute of Architects Committee on historic
preservation, and Indiana Historical Society Committee for the preservation of
Architectural records.
We, at the Westerly Group, Inc. would be pleased to be identified with such a
program and further, would be willing to act as facilitators, where we can, to
bring such articulations about.
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