Facades: Chi 2013 - Larry Blouin

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Joe and Rika Mansueto Library Larry Blouin Director of Construction Management Capital Project Delivery The University of Chicago


Project team: •

Murphy/Jahn Architects

Werner Sobek/ Halvorsen Engineers

Barton Malow Construction

Above-ground building minimized

Below ground five stories

Less mechanical conditioning required to maintain temperature of 60°F and relative humidity of 30%


Opened in May, 2011 Project cost: $81 million 58,699 GSF Overall volume: 1,985,970 CF



Project delivered as CM at risk Design assist used for several trade packages, including dome glass and structure Seele, Inc. was subcontracted to complete dome glass and structure work Value of their contract $14,500,000


Benefits of design assist: Significant cost savings realized •

Round tube vs. square

Glass modules standardized to German sizes in lieu of American

Coordinated structural details with concave ring beam scope of work


Technical features of the dome: •

691 panels of glass

3 layers of glass in each panel

Percentage of UV rays filtered by all dome glass: 98%

Percentage of solar heat rejected by glass: 73%

Percentage of visible light admitted by glass: 50%


Technical features of the dome: •

Size of each panel: approximately 2x2 meters

Thickness of panels: 1½”

Percentage of fritted glass: 50%

Number of rounded panels of glass in the dome: 0


Slurry wall construction consisting of 26 panels, 30 inches thick, 75 feet high

Removed 53,000 CY of material to make room for the basement


Geometry of the dome is determined by two intersecting arcs (of circles)

Designed to extremely tight tolerances

Anchor bolt locations, individual connections carefully measured and checked

Dome designer (Seele) and structural engineer carefully coordinated structural forces




Grid mesh sheathed in glass

Supported by straight steel pipes connected to cast steel nodes

Primer coats applied in shop


Glass skin comprised of lowE glass

50% visible light transmitted

Glass above 13’ patterned with ceramic frit

Lower part of dome totally transparent

Less than 1% of UV light transmitted



Main floor layout critical

All utilities enter from under the floor

Not accessible after racks installed

Curved walls with no column lines


Automated Storage and Retrieval System (ASRS) •

Constructed while dome being erected

Equipment removed through a smoke evac duct shaft




Storage capacity: the equivalent of 3.5 million volumes

5 robotic cranes retrieving bins and shelf racks

Height of each crane is 50’

Typical book retrieved in 5 minutes

No other university in North America has a larger ASRS


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