Globe of Glass is a large-scale, labyrinthine floor mosaic constructed in marble and other natural stone. It displays circular forms and cuneiform symbols with the icon of SUN in its centre metaphorically representing the future of our energy supply.
 Economic growth as we know it continues to depend on fossil fuels, the consequences of which are catastrophic for the climate and the environment. The Fraunhofer IEE in Kassel focuses its research on finding solutions for the energy revolution, amongst others in the area of solar energy. 


The title of the work Globe of Glass, refers to an essay by Virginia Woolf, The Sun and the Fish from 1928, in which the author described the collective experience of a total solar eclipse on 29 June 1927. Witnessing the complete erasure of sunlight led the people present at the solar eclipse to consider the possible extinction of civilisation and to acknowledge the vulnerability and fragility of the planet. This is referred to in the text as a ‘globe of glass’. The overlapping marble circles in the mosaic visually sketch the temporal development of a solar eclipse while at the same time pointing to the circular form of the human eye. 


The Mesopotamian cuneiform symbol representing SUN is the central feature of the work Globe of Glass. Cuneiform script was developed around 3,300 years before our common calendar, in an area that is now mainly attributable to Iraq and Eastern Syria. It is the oldest known writing system and one of the most impressive achievements of humankind as its introduction marked the end of prehistory and the beginning of history. SUN is situated in the middle of the forecourt. The form of a labyrinth, a complex spatial system whose history dates back to antiquity is made up of circles and highly abstract cuneiform wedges and act as a metaphor for experimentation and possible inventions that could lead to the development of energy solutions for the planet.

Client: Fraunhofer Institute for Energy Economics and Energy System Technology (IEE)

Location: Kassel, Germany

Architects: HHS Planer + Architekten AG, Kassel

Completion Date: 2023

Proposal developed by invitation
Project on e-flux