Master dissertation by Joul Ohanis

Architecture is one of the most material-oriented disciplines. In recent decades, investigating the origin and impact of materials has become an increasingly significant part of the discipline. This Master’s thesis conducts a spatial study of quartz sand extraction in the Belgian Kempen region. The thesis focuses on the overall impact and context of the extraction, as well as on the spatial transformation of the region around the municipalities of Dessel, Mol and Lommel. How does globalisation transform local landscapes into extraction landscapes? How are these extraction landscapes managed, and why?

The spatial impact of this can be enormous and, in some cases, take place within a community without causing too much controversy. The case study that features most prominently in this Master’s thesis is the sand extraction company Sibelco, although this is not a corporate study. The landscape study is conducted in three more or less chronological phases. A geomorphological investigation reveals the geology, the origin of the Mol sand and the spatial context of the Kempen region. In the second part, historical cartography is used to map the impact of the extraction process – not only on the sand pits themselves, but also on (glass) factories, garden suburbs, and so on.

A third aspect of this local, landscape-based research concerns the postmodern era in which we live: late capitalism with its hyper-rapid developments. The mineral is being used in an ever-wider range of applications, which means more of it needs to be extracted. Extraction landscapes are changing more rapidly, yet at a time when they are actually receiving greater attention.