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A couple of photographs of Limhamn’s quarry from the 1970′s taken by Kjell Strid 

Mapping the Shadows of Architecture  

A brief history of Euroc City, Scanstad & Scandinavia World

Almost a decade before the eventual closure of the Limestone Quarry in Limhamn in 1994, spectacular plans and visions of its post-industrial future were already being sketched out. 'Burning a hole in one's pocket', is an english saying which is used to describe the intense desire to spend money as soon as it is obtained, as if it is literally too hot to hold onto. In the case of the quarry, it seems it was the hole itself that was doing the burning, warming the corporate pockets of its owner Euroc (formerly Cementa, later Scancem and now Heidleberg) who were eager to find new ways to extract value out of the ageing mining operation.

In 1987 the well renowned local architect, Sten Samuelson, was commissioned by Euroc to produce an early conceptual sketch of what would later be called 'Euroc City' - A development proposal for a city of 15000 people, described by Sydsvenskan as  "Sun drenched terrace houses, offices, hotels and sports arenas climbing down in steps toward a sparkling lake". The proposal also included a 30 story hotel built on an artificial island in the Öresund and the arena built in the base of the quarry had a capacity of 100 000 spectators. A decision regarding the construction of a fixed link between Sweden and Denmark still hadn't been made, but through this visionary proposal Euroc hoped to put some momentum into the debate and hopefully persuade the major political decision makers into making a concrete commitment to the project.

Model of Euroc City // Samark Architects (Sten Samuelson) 

Sten Samuelson had previously been commissioned by the company, designing their lavish new corporate headquarters overlooking the quarry less than 10 years earlier in 1978. The building, known as 'Euroc House' was understated but refined - A low sprawling complex built around a series of atriums and courtyards, more akin to a romanesque monastery than the headquarters of a multinational company. The then sitting CEO of Euroc, Sten Lindh pointed out that the relocation of the company's headquarters, from Central Malmö to the edge of the quarry in Limhamn was a way for the organisation to reconnect with its past and prepare for the future. The opening of the bridge was still more than 20 years away, but Lindh was prescient enough to realise that it was not a question of if, but when. The company owned approximately 300 Ha of land, stretching from the site of the quarry all the way to the sea, including much of the land reserved for the future transport corridor leading up to the proposed bridge over the Öresund. The record years of the million programme were now over and the oil crisis' of the 1970's were causing uncertainty in the construction industry.Lindh understood that the company would soon be sitting on a gold mine in Limhamn, only it would no longer be the raw material underground that would be of value, but the actual ground itself.  

 In June 1991 the governments of Sweden and Denmark sign a formal agreement committing to the Öresunds bridge project, with construction set to commence in 1994. The decision immediately leads to speculation on how much Euroc's landholdings in Limhamn could be worth. The company bought the land in the 1870's for less than 10 million SEK, but with the future arrival of the bridge the land is estimated to be worth up to 3 billion SEK. The company re-presents its plans for Euroc City in a brochure in an attempt to make some progress on its  immense plans and persuade the municipal politicians of its merits. A preliminary agreement is reached between Euroc and the municipality in December 1992 giving the company the right to develop at least 200 000 square metres, consisting of residential space, office space, education and research facilities as well as a theme park. Sten Samuelson, through his architectural office Samark are assigned the task of developing their earlier vision into a feasible plan.