Date of Award
Spring 5-22-2026
Document Type
Thesis
Degree Name
Master in Interior Architecture
Department
Interior Architecture
First Advisor
Francesca Liuni
Second Advisor
Jeffrey Katz
Third Advisor
Can Altay
Abstract
Spatial flexibility—specifically, the ability of a single building to shift between therapeutic and productive use—offers a critical alternative to the institutional passivity of conventional care facilities, repositioning architecture as an active agent in both the financial sustainability of nonprofit organizations and the social recovery of their patients.
During my time volunteering at Yellow Horse Equine Therapy Center in Ashaway, Rhode Island, the core contradictions of the traditional equine therapy model became visible firsthand. Yellow Horse had operated for years on goodwill and volunteers. The daily reality of the facility was one of persistent understaffing: barn chores, groundskeeping, and routine maintenance fell overwhelmingly on rotating volunteers, revealing that an institution structurally dependent on unpaid labor could never reliably secure. The fundraising cycle was equally precarious—periodic fundraising campaigns were insufficient to maintain operational costs. Most strikingly, the site was underutilized most of the time. Paddocks, stables, and common areas sat largely unoccupied between scheduled therapy sessions. When the property changed hands in 2025, no effort of volunteers could be enough. The center closed in April 2026. The closure was not a surprise—it was the inevitable outcome of a model with no structural resilience of its own. This is a plaguing issue troubling stables all over the US.
The solution to the problem is to increase revenue through more efficient use of existing land. Working within the existing structure of the stable complex, the design intervenes primarily at the level of circulation—rerouting movement through the site to support a layered set of low-cost, income-generating programs: agricultural production, on-site processing, and a weekend farmers' market. Rather than relying on a single revenue stream or expensive architectural overhaul, the strategy builds financial resilience through the accumulation of small, manageable activities.
The agricultural production area, processing space, and market are not additions to the therapeutic program—they are arranged in sequence, forming an ease-into-it environment from private recovery to public participation. Patients participate in this healing environment at their own pace, stepping into roles as caretakers, farmers, and market workers as their healing progresses.
Recommended Citation
Liu, Xinyuan, "After Yellow Horse: From Passive Shelter to a Self-Sustaining Cycle" (2026). Masters Theses. 1569.
https://digitalcommons.risd.edu/masterstheses/1569
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