Context
Herdringen Castle—consisting of the castle complex and English landscape park with 19,500 m² of floor space and approx. 100 hectares of parkland—is one of the monuments of national importance managed by the Fürstenberg-Herdringen Cultural Foundation, recognized in 2021. One of the cultural foundation's objectives is to preserve the foundation's own architectural monuments and cultural assets and make them accessible to the public. To implement this foundation purpose, the Cultural Foundation initiated the development of a comprehensive feasibility study for the development of a utilization concept for Herdringen Castle. As a strategic project partner of the Cultural Foundation, actori accompanied the development of the feasibility study and the preparation of its results in the period from November 2024 to October 2025.
Approach
Prior to the feasibility study – development of basic principles and contract award management
actori was responsible for drawing up the service specifications for the feasibility study and managed the contract award process. At the start of the project, actori defined the key content areas and depth of analysis for the feasibility study and laid the foundations for the fundamental decisions required for the future use of the site.
During the feasibility study – project management and quality assurance
actori coordinated and managed the development of the feasibility study between December 2024 and July 2025. This included coordination between the cultural foundation, planning partners, monument protection authorities, and other stakeholders. Continuous project control ensured that all key topics – from the development of the overall experience to the conception of a possible spatial and structural implementation to the elaboration of an operating concept – were developed individually and coordinated with each other.
After the feasibility study – preparation of results and basis for decision-making
After completing the feasibility study, actori translated the study results into possible sub-projects, highlighted their content and strategic implications, and thus provided the Cultural Foundation with a basis for decision-making on the future use of Herdringen Castle, combining the foundation's goals, funding conditions, and study results.
Impact
- Optimization of planning principles through professional client representation: actori's strategic support of the feasibility study on the client side ensured that the various key topics and planning aspects—from the development of a utilization concept to monument protection requirements and funding conditions—were recorded and addressed. This optimized the planning principles and created a solid foundation for future strategic decisions on the client side.
- Cost certainty through continuous review: Through continuous review of the cost indicators in comparison with funding conditions, the client received a detailed assessment of construction, operating, and maintenance costs as a basis for future strategic decisions.
- Sustainable utilization concept through continuous quality assurance: As part of continuous quality assurance, actori ensured that the utilization concept for Herdringen Castle met the foundation's objectives, the requirements of monument protection, and the need for sustainable conversion of the historic building. The result of the feasibility study is therefore a coherent, robust, and sustainable utilization concept that serves as a basis for future decisions by the client.
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The project was implemented by Dr. Clara Teresa Pollak, project manager and Frank Schellenberg, actori managing director.