Cool Globe “Hands On”
Chicago, Illinois

“... Unless we change course, the coming generations will inherit an impoverished environment that will mean a hungrier, less fertile and more unstable world. More conflicts will erupt. Young people need to become involved in promoting environmental sustainability... protecting the environment is not just a pleasure but also a duty.”
- Wangari Maathi
Nobel Peace Prize Winner + Green Belt Movement Founder
Comments accompanying AS+GG Cool Globe

Adrian Smith + Gordon Gill Architecture was proud to be among the 100 artists contributing to Chicago’s ‘Cool Globes’ public art program.

The ‘Cool Globes’ exhibit featured over 100 sculpted globes, each five feet in diameter, displayed along the lakefront from the Field Museum north to Navy Pier. Each globe is designed to inspire individuals and organizations to take action against global warming.

AS+GG’s globe, entitled ‘Hands On’, is on display in the new East Entrance of the Field Museum of Natural History, now through September. The concept for the globe is that individual action can cause change. The globe’s outer layer is an acrylic geodesic sphere, covered with patterns of thermochromic paint. The paint’s color disappears in response to human touch, so each handprint symbolizes the power of the individual to ‘clean the planet.’ Underneath the sphere, the globe displays messages about our earth and what we as individuals can do to help preserve the planet.

AS+GG is dedicated to the preservation of our environment and to lowering pollution caused by carbon emissions, up to 70% of which are generated by the built environment. The office was inspired to contribute to the ‘Cool Globes’ project to communicate our dedication to sustainable design and convey a positive message of action and change.