Rethinking extractive landscapes in cross-border areas

With the gradual cessation of the extractive industry in Western Europe, the 1990s saw the emergence of an awareness of the spatial and cultural values of abandoned mines and quarries. In the wake of the 'industrial heritage tourism', the 'mining tourism' arose, converting derelict extractive facilities into touristic and recreational attractions. In their attempt at economic regeneration, recycling projects for disused extractive plants have often neglected their relationship with landscape, comprising ecosystems and cultural networks pre-existing, contemporary and successive to mining and quarrying time. Adopting an architectural approach, the research explores the manufactured landscape resulting from the exploitation of underground resources, highlighting the spatial, cultural and ecological continuity between underground, sub-surface and surface. Hence, the 'extractive landscape' emerges as a constantly evolving manifestation of human-nature interactions.