The Joe and Rika Mansueto Library's elliptical glass dome preserves the open space environment of the west lawn of the Joseph Regenstein Library. The lower portion of the dome will be totally transparent to provide unobstructed visibility to the outside and from the outside in. The axis of the dome will be slightly angled as a gesture toward the nearby landmark Henry Moore monument.
At the upper area of the dome, the glass will incorporate 75% shading with a ceramic frit dot pattern applied to the internal and external surface of the insulated glass. The high performance glass will reject 98% of the solar heat while admitting 20% of the visible light. As a result, the Grand Reading Room will be flooded with daylight that is appropriately shaded to create a comfortable work environment. High performance Low E fritted glass will provide shading from solar heat gain.
The glass dome is supported by a light steel grid shell made up of 6-inch diameter high strength structural steel tubes parallel to the ellipse axis and spaced at approximately 6 feet in each direction. The steel grid will be anchored to the concrete ring beam. The dome glass will be supported above the steel tube grid at each intersection.
