Rewilding Industrial Wounds: A re-evaluation of closed limestone quarries

As mentioned above, this research started by exploring the notion of erosion, a phenomenon where earthy materials such as soil are being moved from one place to another through different natural processes. This process can also be man-made, which in some cases leaves traces in the Earth’s landscapes. In relation to this theme, the focus of the research soon changed to mining and was later specified on limestone quarrying.

With a focus on Swedish limestone quarries and their fascinating history and nature, the project moves simultaneously between the scale of the global, the regional and the molecular. It has consistently been supported by the written thesis report, which looks into the Anthropocene and the global issue of biodiversity loss, together with the solution-oriented concept of rewilding. In relation to previous studies during the year, concerning the perception of quarries as wounds and the need for new regenerative approaches, the thesis finally came to investigate whether rewilding would be a suitable method for the regeneration of quarries and how the implementation of the concept could take place with the help of architects and other professions.

As part of the research, the project includes a speculative proposal based in a closed Swedish limestone quarry in Limhamn, Malmö. This part of the project has consisted of three operations with the aim of seeing what could have been done before the quarry was closed, such as letting the area slowly become a lake, creating a littoral zone and planting exotic trees. Throughout the project, the expectation has been that this thesis could contribute to changing the view of quarries as wounds, help in the search for new regenerative methods and assist in mitigating the global issue of biodiversity loss.

Studio 12: Man-Made Geographies: From Planetary to Molecular
Studio Teachers: Alejandro Haiek Coll (Studio Coordinator), Johanna Runge, Raffaelle Enrichiello