Inclusion defined from the Horse’s Mouth: research by designing a riding school for all

Abstract

When Ron Mace defined Universal Design in the ‘80s he referred to a diversity of users in general. Nevertheless, at that time Universal Design was often misun-derstood and related to accessible design and design for special needs. Conse-quently, people with disabilities are considered as target group. However, Uni-versal Design aims at a diversity of users without being stigmatizing. In this paper we reconsider the term “users” and widen the term to all possible users in the built environment. Moreover, the paper questions the benefit of considering users to be all living beings, both animal and human. The introduction zooms in on a theoretical approach to define the term users. In the next section the theoret-ical concept and framework is explained by means of a design case of a master project in architecture: “The Centaur Project” (see image below). The architec-tural program of the project defines a hotel and a riding school for horses. The design program outlines an inclusive concept. Designing for all users is consid-ered as designing without making a difference between horse or person, between client or employee, between visitor or constructor. A UD strategy is set out and leads to the whole design process. For the UD design strategy focus is put on movements and actions in order to understand the relation and transfer of experi-ences of users as a form of expertise and identity versus experiences created by the built environment itself. Consequently, the centaur project supports positive experiences for a rich diversity of users. Research shows that horse therapy is very good for human health and is set in as a therapy for people with a disability. In Greek mythology a centaur was half-man and half-horse. Finding the right equilibrium between both is a condition for a centaur in order to live. More pre-cisely, the body of the horse is required to move and a human head is necessary in order to orient. The quality of life of the centaur depends on the good relations and cooperation of both. The project is a result of research by design. Architec-tural schemes are made in preparation for actual design patterns. The paper zooms in on the research by design strategy used to create an inclusive hotel for both people and horses.