Joe and Rika Mansueto Library
Arquitectura
Bibliophiles rejoice: Despite the rise of the e-book, there is still a haven where the printed word reigns supreme. In 2004, the University of Chicago libraries were almost out of room, and for a university that acquires 150,000 volumes annually, the problem was quickly becoming critical. But while other institutions flocked to off-site storage solutions, “our faculty was strongly opposed to something that would remove materials from campus,” says Judith Nadler, director of the university library system and university librarian. Nadler herself thinks that “you exercise a kind of censorship of materials that are housed remotely.” With that decision made, a competition was launched for an on-campus library that could house 3.5 million volumes.
Helmut Jahn, FAIA, of Murphy/Jahn Architects, won the commission for the Joe and Rika Mansueto Library in part by suggesting that a large new facility shouldn’t be shoehorned into the already crowded heart of campus. Rather, he suggested, the university should look to place the bulk of the structure below grade. “It was significantly more attractive in terms of preserving the open quadrangle,” Jahn says.