Classical elements of Labrouste’s Bibliotheque Nationale include the arcuation, although specific orders were not necessarily followed. The lightness is also classical as well, and it is somewhat austere besides the ornamentation the iron adds. Iron, a modern technology, is used in a skeletal form and is an absolute element along with masonry being separate. This shows the stylistic treatment of ornamentation with iron that is exposed rather than covered. He also uses simple girders rather than floral patterns, which would be more classic. Segregating the structure by material shows the breaking from the classical architecture taught at the Beaux Arts School and modern architectural techniques.