"Laurelinde" modular system for portable horse housing
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School of Arts, Design and Architecture |
Master's thesis
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Date
2016
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Mcode
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Language
en
Pages
140
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Abstract
Equestrian world is a wide field, which is although not that commonly acknowledged is in demand for efficient design solutions. One of the ongoing necessities is a safe and comfortable accommodation of horses at temporary locations, for instance, fairs and competitions. According to the preliminary research based on the designer’s personal involvement and observations current situation in the temporary stalls’ construction has indicated several aspects for possible improvement. Further research of the subject has started with a careful analysis of vital requirements for each users’ group interacting with portable horse housing. In addition to theoretical studies and on-site observations a series of interviews with horse riders and holders was held to identify the primary needs and points of focus. Further on, deeper understanding of the weak and strong sides of existing solutions was obtained during the three Case-studies at the large public Equestrian events organized at various locations during the year. Conducted information allowed to form a set of necessary criteria to be met during the design process: safety and strength of the construction, functionality and usability during the installation process, material and aesthetic preferences. At the next stage a new proposal for the portable stall design has been formed. Besides being based on the obtained selection of users’ demands and successful existing decisions design direction aimed to develop an innovative, unconventional approach. First ideas and forms have been polished through fast-prototyping and implementation of users’ feedback. Further on, the technical functionality of the structure has been tested through a large steel prototype, while the shape and appearance of the stalls was evaluated through detailed 3D modeling and final scale models. Main innovation in the final design solution arises from shifting from a traditional square to a hexagon shape in stall’ layout. Described change allows to locate stalls in different combinations, with a fewer amount of partitions requited. Additionally, the chosen shape allows horses to interact socially without the risk of physical damage. Eventually, aiming to satisfy different cases of application, two types of portable housing “Stall A” and “Stall B" were included in the final proposal with slight variations in appearance and functionality. For the outdoors location sets of 4 and 5 stalls were proposed to be equipped with the personal tensile roofing. Based on material studies, observations during study cases, and users’ preferences materials for the execution of the final design were chosen to be galvanized steel and coated plywood sheets. Generally, the functions of the horse housing appears to be simple and undemanding, yet in practice portable stalls’ design is a complex subject. Even though, the safety and strength of the construction comes as a first priority for main users, the other aspects of design eventually play an equally important role. The construction process of the stalls and their durability during installation, demounting, storing and transporting is crucial in the matter of long-term usage. Furthermore, a quite often neglected aesthetic aspect has to be undoubtedly taken into consideration since publicly displayed stalls affect the whole perception of Equestrian industry. Eventually, even though developed for the narrow purpose of comfortable horse accommodation, ideas and solutions created for the portable stalls could be applied in the other design fields and areas of modern life.Description
Supervisor
Mänttäri, RoyThesis advisor
Järvisalo, JoukoKeywords
horse, stables, modular, portable, stalls, movable