THE LOUVRE PYRAMID - a crisp

THE LOUVRE PYRAMID

BY ARCHITECT I.M. PEI

LOUVRE PYRAMID

The Louvre Pyramid was built in the 1980s as

the main entrance to the Louvre Museum.

The modern glass structure, which forms a nice

contrast with the historic facades of the Louvre,

has become a landmark in its own right.

The Louvre Pyramid was built as part of a

project known as the Grand Louvre to expand

and modernize the Louvre Museum.

INTODUCTION…..

The Louvre Pyramid, designed by Ieoh Ming Pei is

an iconic landmark and represents the insertion of

modernity in a historic setting.

Controversial, hated and loved, the Louvre

Pyramid has become a place where contemporary

architectural landscape of Paris in the collective

memory of Paris and even in literature, especially

in the also controversial Da Vinci Code .

DAY VIEW OF THE LOUVRE PYRAMID

NIGHT VIEW OF THE LOUVRE PYRAMID

I.M.PEI STYLES AND METHOD I. M. Pei, is a Chinese American architect often

called the master of modern architecture. Pei's style is described as thoroughly

modernist, with significant cubist themes. He is known for combining traditional

architectural elements with progressive designs based on simple geometric patterns.

As one critic writes: Pei has been aptly described as combining a classical sense of form with a contemporary mastery of method.

I.M.PEI’S VIEWS…. ON LOUVRE

"I think the transparency of the pyramid is very

important here. Not only to bring light into the reception

room, but also to see the entire complex of the Louvre

through it.“

WHY PYRAMID…???

"Formally, the pyramid is the more compatible figure

with the Louvre's architecture. Also, it is one of the most

stable forms, ensuring its transparency ... and it is

constructed of steel and metal, symbolizing a break with

past traditions, it is work of our time. "

AERIAL VIEW

THE DESIGN The pyramid is rather modest in size compared to

the surrounding palace wings of the Louvre.

It has a height of about 22 meters (72ft) and at

its base measures just over 35 meters (116ft).

It is flanked by three smaller pyramids and

reflecting pools with modern fountains.

Much effort was made to make the pyramid as

transparent as possible.

The 675 diamond-shaped and 118 triangular

panes were specifically fabricated to make them

completely clear.

Attention was also paid to the 128 steel girders

and 16 steel cables that hold the panes together.

Technology from high tech yachts was used to

make them as small and unobtrusive as possible.

COMPARISION OF PYRAMIDS

THE PYRAMID - GEOMETRIC SHAPE For the entrance to the subterranean level, Pei wanted to

avoid it looking like a mere subway station and he needed the

right kind of building to draw visitors to the museum's

entrance.

After studying the works of André Le Nôtre - France's great

landscape designer - who strictly followed geometric patterns,

Pei came up with the shape of a pyramid, which would form a

beacon at the center of the courtyard.

He opted for a glass cladding since this would be the least

intrusive and it would also allow light to enter the foyer below.

SECTION

INTERIOR VIEW

THE INVERTED PYRAMID In 1993 the underground area expanded with the

opening of a modern shopping mall, the Carrousel du

Louvre.

It is anchored by an inverted glass pyramid, known as

the Pyramide Inversée (Inverted Pyramid), which nicely

complements the Louvre Pyramid.

The pyramid was designed by the American architecture

firm of Pei Cobb Freed & Partners, who created a smaller

version of Pei's pyramid, turned it upside down right and

suspended it right above a small stone pyramid.

CONCEPT AND IDEA

He had the idea of digging up the yard Napoleon

nine meters underground and there provide

enough space for the storage of the works of art

and loading equipment, an auditorium for 400

people, information areas, conference centers, a

friendly cafe, book stores and souvenir shops.

THE LOUVRE MUSEUM BEFORE THE INSERTION OF THE PYRAMID

THE CRITICS AND CONTROVERSIES….

The pyramid was a very controversial subject, back

in 1984-85, as people tend to confuse the form of

the pyramid of the Louvre with that in Egypt.

“I think it is not accurate: the Egyptian pyramid is

huge, it is made of solid stone, and it is a place for

the dead.

The pyramid at the Louvre is the opposite, it is

made of glass, it is transparent, and it is

for the living "

B.ARCH 2ND YEAR

A.SHIFHANA