Learning Centre & Hotel "De Heerlijckyt"

This project is comprised of the renovation and extension of a castle and adjacent farmstead into a learning centre and hotel. The domain – whose buildings and surrounding park are heritage listed – has been in the hands of the same family for 300 years and has been well maintained during that time and modified with a great deal of love and respect.

Our task consisted in drafting a master plan for the entire site and designing the renovation of all buildings in accordance with the new owner’s wishes. The latter will use the castle and its domain as a high-grade learning centre directed at rest and reflection complete with reception and accommodation infrastructure. The learning centre consists of a variety of rooms: from large, dynamic spaces for group work to small, intimate rooms for one-on-one sessions.

The design comprises subtly integrated structural interventions, the reinforcement of the outer shell and a very detailed plan for the interior. The underlying principle was to preserve as much of the existing structure and character of the various sections as possible.

The large barns in the farmstead were renovated into large group rooms, while the rooms on the first floor of the castle were converted into more reserved work space. 14 luxury hotel rooms were installed in the attic of the castle while 6 more basic hotel rooms were created in the attic of the former stables.

The approach ranges from restoration – in the castle – to renovation – in the barns. In both, the choice of material and detailing were adapted to the historic typology of the respective buildings and share a common focus on environmental friendliness and sustainability.