Kugelgarn^® for heritage planetarium

The Zeiss Grossplanetarium was opened in 1987 as one of the last representative buildings of the GDR and is now Europe's most modern science theatres. It was designed by Erhardt Gißke as part of the Ernst Thälmann Park and is characterised by a striking 30-metre dome constructed by shell construction pioneer Ulrich Müther. The building has been a listed building since 2025.  

Between 2014 and 2016, the planetarium underwent extensive modernisation. In addition to the new ZEISS UNIVERSARIUM star projector and the latest fulldome technology, the utilisation concept was also realigned: the focus is now on interdisciplinary science education, not just classical astronomy. 

The flooring in the large dome hall was recently replaced with Kugelgarn^® because the flooring installed during the renovation did not meet the requirements for heavy usage. The choice of Kugelgarn^® as a material that is characterised by durability and good acoustics is exemplary for the sensitive use of materials in public educational buildings that combine historical substance with contemporary requirements. The selected Kugelgarn^® Resista Cosmic taifun quality was also laid in modular form, which above all enables excellent repairability – something that has not yet been necessary despite the high visitor frequency and thanks to the high quality.