Equestrian Retreat 

Concept :

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“No philosophers so thoroughly comprehend us as dogs and horses.” Herman Melville

 

A professional equestrian team purchased a large site in Wellington, South Florida's horse country, a retreat away from the hustle and bustle of the city. This retreat serves multiple uses but shares one common goal which is to celebrate their love and appreciation for horses and the equestrian art.

The team wished for this equestrian campus to provide the following uses:

• A comfortable home and training ground for the horses and riders.

• A classroom for teens from under-served communities to learn to ride and to train competitively.

• A safe harbor for equine-assisted therapy

• And an occasional meeting ground for informal riding meets and events​

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The project is designed as a series of ‘linked’ geometries with the links providing a central function to the overall building's program. The stables form an offset figure "8" with the Tack Room + Prep Area as the central link and the colorful courtyards as focal points for the horses to quench their thirst or dry-off from a bath.

The two Riding Arenas form a figure "H" with the link serving as a raised Spectator's Gallery that looks into both arenas.

The Feed and Store building and circular covered arena are linked to form a figure ","(comma) building.

The rounded edges and pops of color provide a softness and playfulness to a building type that is often characterized as highly regimented and stern. The material selection takes on the regional use of terracotta tiles and white stucco, which provide thermal cooling, are able to withstand tropical storms and hurricanes, and are durable, lasting decades.

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