Joe and Rika Mansueto Library @ UChicago

In the five months since it opened to patrons, the library has rapidly emerged as a Chicago icon — one that is an integral part of campus life at UChicago and a workhorse of the University’s library system. Its striking design and scholarly mission have garnered worldwide interest from architecture publications, technology websites, and writers interested in the future of libraries.

All the while, the library’s massive book-loading project went on under patrons’ feet, at an astounding rate of 20,000 volumes a day on average.