On 6 September a new cultural and educational centre in Latvia was opened in Kuldīga's former Needle Factory and it has now become home to the international Master's programme "Service Design Strategies and Innovation" students from all over the world, LIAA Kuldīga Business Incubator and Kuldīga Digital Innovation Centre. The venue will also be available for exhibitions.
The idea of transforming the former Needle Factory into a cultural venue emerged in 2015, when the Latvian Academy of Art and the Kuldīga Municipality partnered to establish a new study programme in Kuldīga. The Latvian Academy of Art started the search for the new study programme content in order to develop a unique educational offer in Latvia and the Baltic States. Kuldīga Municipality, for its part, launched the Needle Factory Project aiming to house the future study programme in Kuldīga, at Kalpaka Street 2 and 4, where the former Needle Factory used to be located, but later - one of the buildings of the old Kuldīga Hospital. After the hospital moved to the new premises, some business owner bought the former hospital buildings, but he did eventually abandon his plans, and the technical state of the buildings became increasingly poor. In 2016, in order to redevelop the Kalpaka Street quarter and prevent the buildings from deteriorating, Kuldīga Municipality purchased the buildings at 1, 2 and 4 Kalpaka Street from Bank Citadele at an auction.
The deterioration of the buildings would cause an irreversible loss to the cultural heritage of Kuldīga and the country. The municipality handed over the building at 1 Kalpaka Street to the state, which further decided to establish there Kuldīga Technology and Tourism Technical School Competence Centre.