Havezate 't Velde

Abstract

Huis ‘t Velde is an estate first mentioned in 1326 and located in Warnsveld, in the east of the Netherlands. During the analysis of the building and site it became clear that it fell under a particular typology. Huis ‘t Velde was known as ‘havezate’, a specific type of castle which provided privileges and political rights. It was an ensemble of estate and buildings that evolved over time and was used as fortified house. Many similar buildings are seen across the region and seemed to have various similarities. Often, those havezaten were not publicly accessible, resulting in nescience of the typology among many people. The term ‘havezate’ was often even replaced by ‘kasteel’ or ‘landhuis’, while the definition was not identical. These analysis resulted in the following research- and design question:
How can fourteenth-century havezaten from Het Kwartier van Zutphen be characterized to formulate a building typology and how can this be made experienceable to the public in the re-design of Huis ‘t Velde?

Since the current use of Huis ‘t Velde does not make the typology experienceable, the whole estate and buildings will be re-designed to be publicly accessible. By attracting people and allowing them on the estate and inside the buildings they can become acquainted with the characteristics of the typology and take in the atmosphere that makes it so special. Huis ‘t Velde will host a hotel, with restaurant and wine tasting area, combined with some rental rooms, a shop and various outside spaces like a flower-, vegetable- and monumental garden. The majority of the (spatial) interventions are based on the conducted individual research into havezaten in the area around Zutphen. The results are combined into a design toolbox with interventions to use to make the characteristics of a havezate (more) experienceable to the public. These design tools are implemented and testing in the re-design of Huis ‘t Velde.