Crystalline Domed Mansueto Library Features Robotic Book Retrieval System

The glass-domed <a href="http://mansueto.lib.uchicago.edu/">Grand Reading Room</a> at the University of Chicago opened on Monday to the delight of students looking for a sunny spot to study. Outfitted with Low-E, fritted glass, the energy efficient dome ensures that <a href="http://inhabitat.com/category/daylighting">daylight</a> gets in, but doesn't overheat the space. Joe and Rika Mansueto, alumni of the University of Chicago, donated $25 million to fund construction of the <a href="http://inhabitat.com/leed-gold-veer-towers-at-citycenter-in-las-vegas/">Helmut Jahn</a>-designed facility. The <a href="http://inhabitat.com/striking-villanueva-library-has-walls-lined-with-natural-river-rocks/">library</a> also features an underground automated storage and retrieval system (ASRS) capable of storing 3.5 million books.

A large egg-shaped glass dome blankets the airy 8,000 sq ft reading room, which provides study space for 180 students.

The new reading room set next to the Regenstein Libary.

The reading room is partially set into the ground.

The low profile building is tucked neatly into campus.

Opening on May 16th for students' use, the library won't celebrate it's official opening until next October.

A diamond patter of fritted glass covers the space.

A large square sits adjacent.

Images from the "soft opening" of the Mansueto Library at the University of Chicago May 16, 2011. (Photo by Jason Smith)

The entire space is naturally day lit.

The interior is a geometric paradise.

Large open tables provide students plenty of space to spread out.

Also inside the dome are three glass research cubicles for students to use in solitude while studying a large number of texts for up to two weeks.

A high performance facade of Low-E glass with a ceramic frit dot pattern applied to the interior side of the glass ensures that daylight gets in but doesn't over heat.

In fact the glass rejects 73% of the solar heat gain and lets in 50% of the visible light.

Students hard at work in their new study space.

A glass walkway connects the reading room to the other library.

While many universities are moving away from a physical book collection towards a digital library, the University of Chicago wanted to maintain their collection and keep it on site.

To do this efficiently and maximize their space, the university placed their collection underground and makes use of the same robotic technology that car manufacturers do.

The automated storage and retrieval system (ASRS) stores the entire collection is a space one-seventh the size of conventional shelving methods.

A computer tracks the books location and uses a robot to retrieve books when students request them from the system. The university will finish cataloging their collection next fall.