Labrouste was a Beaux-Arts style architect and he did the Bibliothèque Nationale. Some of the classical elements seen in this building are the ribbed vaulting, the domes, and ionic columns (ionic because it’s a library and ionic emulates wisdom). Some of the modern elements of the building are the use of cast iron columns, which allows there to be open work space. As we mentioned in class, this is generally plaster reinforced with iron mesh. Ultimately, I believe this building does a good job of mellifluously combining classical and modern elements.