Building (Ancient) Lives: new perspectives on the past for a sustainable future
Dr Tanja Romankiewicz’s research analyses archaeological remains of early architectures to understand the strategies of past communities in creating their built environment.
Dr Tanja Romankiewicz’s research on prehistoric roundhouses aims to deepen the link of local communities with their past by informing decisions on their current built environment by the practices of people living in the same area thousands of years earlier. Her research results also inspire commercial archaeologists, architects, construction practitioners and policy makers to create and curate more informative archaeological records, affirm resilient communities via new concepts of sustainable architecture and inform the development of low-carbon constructions and materials.
Dr Romankiewicz’s research has been used by national agencies such as Historic Environment Scotland as well as local government officials and commercial architects. In June 2015, as part of the international conference Earth Built UK, Dr Romankiewicz was invited by artist Tim Fitzpatrick to collaborate on a community art project in Errol. Together they designed four landscape art installations under the theme of un-melting, with the help of the local community in the summer of 2015. Using her own data research, Romankiewicz created two installations: “Carse” at Cistern Green and “Bield” at Newfarm. The project continues with the installations gradually re-melting back into the ground to offer reflections on the theme of sustainable building and the ephemeral remains that these structures leave behind, a reflection on sustainability and archaeology that aims to inspire the local Errol community.