Rewilding industrial wounds : A re-evaluation of closed quarries through the integration of rewilding

Sammanfattning: This thesis departs from previous research, attached as Appendix 1, which investigated how the management and perception of quarries has changed over time. It also addressed a more recent inquiry regarding the demand for a more open restorative approach that departs from the idea that landscapes should be restored to their original state. For the following thesis, this subject is brought into an even broader scale, where the wounds created are seen as symptoms of a greater concern; man's exploitation of the Earth. The thesis is conducted through a desk- based and action-based research and is initiated by giving an insight into humanity's impact on the Earth, referencing back to the mid 20th century. It explains the concepts The Great Acceleration and The Anthropocene, which have come to describe the era in which humanity operates and where the loss of biodiversity is greater than ever. In the search for potential solutions, or mitigations, the report then leads into the concept of rewilding, a concept that aims at the rehabilitation of nature, where man, with as little means as possible, assists nature to the extent that it can manage on its own. The research background is the followed by a discussion, which aims to answer the question of whether rewilding would be a suitable method for regenerating quarries and if so, how the implementation of such a concept could take place with the help of architects and other professions. Here, it is confirmed that rewilding is a suitable method to regenerate quarries, as it is considering nature whilst also reconsidering humanity’s part within it. Italso encourages the opportunities for education and cooperation between different fields and works across different scales, something that is also needed for quarries considering their unique properties and biodiversity. The discussion also acknowledges the two case studies included in the research, which show different ways of transforming quarries and which are both similar to rewilding. Yet, one them, Västra brottet on Gotland, is considered being the most similar. With inspiration from the research, the report ends with a design proposal which reconsiders a closed limestone quarry in Sweden. With rewilding as a point of departure, a number of experiments are carried out to test different approaches in the quarry. These tests are then evaluated more closely in a conclusion and self- reflection.