Ausma Hotel turns a more than 200-year-old building in Kuldīga, Latvia, into a contemporary boutique hotel without flattening its history into a uniform backdrop. Field Studio’s 2,000 m² project preserves visible architectural layers, adapts the irregular building to modern hotel use, and gives rooms distinct layouts shaped by their proportions. The project was published by ArchDaily on October 5, 2026; separate local tourism information describes the hotel as a bookable 12-room property.
A historic building adapted, not made uniform
Field Studio describes the building as more than 200 years old; that is the project team’s stated age, not a precise construction date. The architects worked with a structure that had accumulated changes over time, treating those layers as part of the hotel’s character rather than clearing them away to create a blank interior.
As the project description puts it: “Existing architectural elements and original details were restored wherever possible, allowing the character of the building to remain visible.” New work was designed to complement the old rather than imitate it. That distinction matters in adaptive reuse: the aim was to accommodate a new program while allowing historic fabric and contemporary interventions to remain legible as different parts of the building’s story.
Designing around the building’s differences
Hotel rooms often benefit operationally from repetition, but the existing building’s varied proportions and conditions made identical layouts an ill fit. Field Studio instead shaped individual rooms around those differences, while using a coherent design approach to make them feel part of one hotel.
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The project also had to integrate the practical requirements of hospitality, including new technical systems and contemporary expectations, within the historic structure. The published project account describes that integration as part of the design challenge, but does not report energy, carbon, cost, or construction-performance results. Reuse is evident; a quantified environmental benefit is not established by the available project information.
Local fabrication and the wider project scope
Field Studio designed most of the bespoke furniture, joinery, and metalwork, which were made by local artisans and material producers in Kuldīga, according to the project description. The studio’s role extended beyond interior architecture: it also developed the hotel’s brand identity, graphic design, website, and communications. A Field Studio project post says work began in 2021.
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ArchDaily credits Field Studio as architect, with lead architects Janis Andersons, Danna Degle, and Diana Zalane. The design team is listed as Jānis Andersons, Danna Degle, Diāna Zalāne, Laura Deruma, Līva Kenkle, and Ansis Paeglītis. SIA KORP is credited as general contractor, SIA JC Grupa for engineering and consulting services, and Daniel Kochkin for photography. Ferm Living, Finnish Design Shop, and HK LIVING are named among the manufacturers; the project record does not assign specific products to particular locations or photographs.
Why Kuldīga is part of the design story
Ausma Hotel is set in Kuldīga’s Old Town, in western Latvia. UNESCO describes the Old Town as an exceptionally well-preserved traditional urban settlement, with a street layout and architecture that preserve evidence of different historical periods and Baltic craft influences. The World Heritage Committee inscribed the property on the World Heritage List under criterion (v).
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The hotel project account says a local family initiated the project seeking a hotel connected to Kuldīga and its character. That brief aligns the building’s reuse with its setting, but the reviewed sources do not establish measurable effects on the local community or tourism. Nor do they identify the hotel building itself as separately UNESCO-listed.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.Staying at Ausma Hotel
For practical accommodation information, Visit Kuldīga lists Ausma Hotel at Kalna iela 14 and describes it as a small boutique hotel in renovated historic buildings in the Old Town. Its listing states 12 rooms and capacity for up to 30 guests, and describes double rooms, larger duplex rooms for up to four, a family room, and rooms with terraces. It also lists breakfast, shared spaces, a courtyard, guest parking, a sauna, and an outdoor terrace. These are details from the local tourism listing accessed in 2026; confirm current availability and amenities with the hotel.
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Visit Kuldīga directs reservations to the hotel’s website, while Booking.com also lists the property with date-specific room availability. Rates and availability can change, so compare the same dates and room type across booking routes. Check guest capacity, whether breakfast is included, cancellation and payment terms, and the total price before booking; any starting rate shown by a listing is not a guaranteed price for your stay.
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