Het Centaur Project, onderzoek naar de praktische haalbaarheid van de UD-opia

Robbe De Geyndt, Architecture, University of  Hasselt

Abstract Master Thesis, submitted 9 February 2015:

Het Centaur Project, onderzoek naar de praktische haalbaarheid van de UD-opia

The aim of this thesis is to investigate and identify a possible alternative for the well-known, but unfortunately still failing concept of the Utopia within the borders of the architectural working field. Next, this alternative, the UD-opia, will be looked at critically to explore its sustainability and practical feasibility. This exploration will be done based on a self-designed case study, the Centaur Project.

In the first part, the analysis of the Utopia and the identification of its flaws and weaknesses are presented. Those show a better understanding of why the Utopian concept is still failing and provide a good base to found on the new idea of the UD-opia. Starting from this foundation the UD-opia explores the Universal Design discourse and provides a critical reflection on the investigated literature. Then the guidelines for this UD-opia are highlighted and the rules are defined. The second part contains a design for a riding school for people with and without disabilities, that follows the earlier established rules. This design, the Centaur Project, strives for a synergy between people and horses. By doing this the theoretical part of the UD-opia is immediately matched up with reality.

This thesis hopes  to erect the general idea of the UD-opia by offering a well-founded theoretical base and ‘reality checked’ design and tries by doing this to help the Universal Design process along.