I.M.PEI

CONTENTSQuick FactsSynopsisEarly LifeDesign PhilosophyWorksRecent ProjectsAwardsBibliography

QUICK FACTS

BIRTH DATE: April 26, 1917 (age 97)

EDUCATION: Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Harvard University

PLACE OF BIRTH: Canton, Guangzhou, China

FULL NAME: Ieoh Ming Pei

Synopsis

I. M. Pei was born in China on April 26, 1917. In 1935 he began studying architecture in the United States and eventually earned his B.A. from MIT and his M.A. from Harvard. After starting his own architectural firm in 1955, Pei went on to design such well-known structures as the Kennedy library, the glass pyramid at the Louvre and the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Now in his nineties, Pei continues to design innovative structures throughout the world and has countless honors for his work within the field of architecture.

Early Life

When he was 17 years old, he traveled to the United States, initially attending the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia before transferring to the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, where he earned a bachelor's degree in architecture in 1940.

Pei soon continued his studies at Harvard University's Graduate School of Design, where he had the opportunity to study with German architect and founder of the Bauhaus design movement Walter Gropius. During World War II, Pei took a break from his education to work for the National Defense Research Committee. In 1944, he returned to Harvard and earned his master's degree in architecture two years later. Around this time, Pei also worked an assistant professor at the university.

Due to his reliance on abstract form and materials such as stone, concrete, glass, and steel, Pei has been considered a disciple of Walter Gropius.

However, Pei shows little concern with theory. He does not believe that architecture must find forms to express the times or that it should remain isolated from commercial forces.

Pei generally designs sophisticated glass clad buildings loosely related to the high-tech movement.

However, many of his designs result from original design concepts. He frequently works on a large scale and is

renowned for his sharp, geometric designs.

DESIGN PHILOSOPHY

NUMBER OF COMPLETE PROJECTS

North America : 48 Europe : 4 Middle East : 1 Asia : 11

WORKS

In 1948, Pei joined New York-based architectural firm Webb & Knapp, Inc., as its director of architecture. In 1955 he left to start his own firm, I. M. Pei & Associates (now known as Pei Cobb Freed & Partners). One of his first major projects was the Mile High Center in Denver, Colorado.

Pei also devised several urban renewal plans for areas of Washington, D.C., Boston and Philadelphia around this time. Pei met Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis, on the designs for presidential library.

JOHN F. KENNEDY LIBRARY

The project, built in Dorchester, Massachusetts, met several challenges over the years, including a change in location. Completed in 1979, the library is a nine-story modern structure that features glass and concrete. Pei also designed a later addition to the site.

“I believe that architecture is a pragmatic art. To become art it must be built on a foundation of necessity.”

—I.M. Pei

In 1983, he was awarded the Pritzker Architecture Prize for his contributions to his field. In their official announcement, the committee recognized his ability to "draw together disparate people and disciplines to create an harmonious environment."Pei used his prize money to create a scholarship for Chinese students to study architecture in the United States.

During this time, Pei also began work on revitalizing Paris's Louvre museum. The new, and controversial, entrance he created for the structure has since become one of the most iconic representations of his work. Pei had visitors descend into the museum through a large glass pyramid, which took them to a new level below the existing courtyard.

Pei continued to design impressive buildings during the 1990s, including the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum in Washington, D.C., and the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in Cleveland, Ohio.

Pei designed several low cost modernistic houses that were intended to be built of prefabricated plywood panels and ”plug in” room modules.Several of these designs were awarded recognition in Arts and Architecture magazine and thus served to give Pei his first National Exposure.

Pei experimented with towers of pre-cast concrete window frames laid on one another like blocks. This system proved to be quick to construct and required no added fireproof lining or exterior sheathing, making it relatively inexpensive. The concrete frames also had the asthetic advantage of looking “muscular” and permanent.Soon Pei acquired a reputation as a pragmatic, cost-conciousarchitect who understood the needs of developers and had the ability to produce solid-looking buildings.

Pei showed concern that his buildings were “contextual”, that they fit into their pre-existing architectural environments. I.M.Pei is known for using large, abstract forms and designs. His glass-clad structures seem to spring from the high tech modernist movement.Pei is popularly known for designing the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in Ohio .However, Pei is more concerned with function than theory.His works often incorporate traditional Chinese symbols and building traditions.

Recent Projects

For more than 60 years, Pei has been one of the world's most sought-after architects and has handled a wide range ofcommercial, government and cultural projects. He created Chicago's Hyatt Center, completed in 2005, and the Musée d'Art Moderne in Kirchberg, Luxembourg, completed in 2006.

Now in his 90s, Pei still maintains an active work schedule. In India, he has several designs in process, including Mumbai's Lodha Place. He is also working on Los Angeles's Century Plaza, Fordham University's Lincoln Center

Fragrant Hill HotelBeijing, ChinaCompleted 1982

Lead Designers:I. M. PeiC.C. Pei

Gross Floor Area36,900 m²

ClientFirst Service Bureau, Beijing

SiteA 30,000 m² site in the former Imperial Hunting Grounds, 32 km from downtown

Deluxe hotel in the former Imperial Hunting Grounds outside Beijing

This hotel stands in a public park within the former Imperial Hunting Grounds outside Beijing, not far from the Summer Palace and other key historic sites. Balancing symmetry and asymmetry, the 325 guest rooms zigzag out from a central skylit space to preserve the site's ancient trees. Each guest room opens onto a courtyard through a shaped "window picture" that frames the landscape and brings the outdoors inside. Building and gardens merge inseparably in an intimate reciprocal relationship.

Underlying the design is a strategy to provide a "Third Way" wherein advanced Western technology is grafted onto the essence of Chinese vernacular architecture without literal imitation. The skylight was the only major imported component; everything else was constructed by local craftsmen using age-old techniques and materials. Fragrant Hill thus draws from the living roots of tradition to sow the seed of a new, distinctly Chinese form of modern architecture that can be adapted, not merely adopted, for diverse building types.

Although a high-rise hotel in central Beijing was originally requested,the architect declined in order to preserve the Forbidden City fromskyscraper intrusion. Shortly after Fragrant Hill was commissioned,Beijing's unique legacy was acknowledged as strict height regulationswere established for new buildings within critical distances and sightlines of the ancient precinct.

Major Components : 325 guest rooms, 750m2 atrium, ballroom, conference rooms, restaurants, services, retail, athletic club and pools, 2,800 m2 outdoor terrace / plaza, 11,000 m2 landscaped Chinese gardens with reconstructed ancient water maze

Awards:1984 American Institute of Architects:National Honor Award

I. M. Pei & Partners services:Site Planning; Architectural Design; Graphics

Mechanical / Electrical:J. Roger Preston, Hong Kong

Interiors:Dale Keller & Associates, Hong Kong

WORLD ONE

Located in Upper Worli, Mumbai; The World Towers is nestled in South Mumbai’s most bustling address. Home to top industrialists, sportspersons and celebrities, it’s woven into a rich social & cultural fabric. Truly, the ultimate destination for the global elite.

Composed of 3 towers, uniquely curvilinear in shape, The World Towers form a stunning sculpture in glass and steel, soaring into the Mumbai sky. World One, the world’s tallest residential tower, World View and World Crest, stand as a powerful symbol of Mumbai’s unfettered aspirations and unstoppable drive.

At 730 ft and over 225m, World Crest is the fastest constructed residential high-rise structure in India. The World Towers employs the most cutting-edge and efficient construction technology in creation of the iconic edifice. A project of astounding proportions, matched in its magnificence only by the marvel of engineering and construction that has gone into its development.

SITE LAYOUT

PLANS OF EAST WING AND WEAT WING (9th to 18th floor and 19th floor onwards)

PLANS OF EAST WING AND WEST WING

Architect: I.M. PeiLocation: Hong Kong, ChinaProject Year: 1985-1990References: Pei Cobb Freed & Partners

BANK OF CHINA

When commissioned to design the Bank of China Tower on an intricate inland site, I.M. Pei was requested to create an unavoidably tall unique headquarters in a typhoon-prone region that would represent the aspirations of the Chinese people yet also symbolize good will toward the British Colony.

The solution assimilates architecture and engineering simultaneously, involving an asymmetrical tower that informs both skyline and street.

The Bank of China Tower stands 70 stories tall,reaching a height of 1,209 feet. At the time of its opening in May 1990, it was the tallest building in Asia and still remains one of the tallest in Hong Kong.

Comprised of four vertical shafts, the tower emerges from a 52-meter cube and reduces its mass, quadrant by quadrant, until a single triangular prism resides.

The faceted prism is clad in reflective glass that mirrors the changing sky, anchoring the expansive business district and providing a characteristic vertical axis to Hong Kong’s towering skyline.

The four shafts that from the building produce a modern composite structural system that not only resists high-velocity winds, but eliminates the need for many internal vertical supports.

As a result, the Bank of China uses less steel than typical for a building its size.

A key issue for I.M. Pei was the symbolism of the structure for the Chinese people and the British Colony. Original plans included an x-shaped cross-brace. However, in China the “X” shape is seen as a symbol of death.

As an alternative, Pei chose to use less menacing diamond forms. The bamboo plant was also a significant inspiration for this unique building.

The trunk of this massive structure is representative of the growth patterns of bamboo, the symbol of hope and revitalization in the Chinese culture.

At ground level, the tower is pulled back from the street to create an amicable pedestrian atmosphere that is fully accessible and sheltered from the urban bedlam. It is surrounded by a broad promenade, and flanked by cooling water gardens that muffle the activity and noise of surrounding traffic.

AwardsA few of the many honors I. M. Pei has received throughout his illustrious career:

2006 Erwin Wickert Foundation, Orient and Occident Prize2003 National Building Museum, Henry C. Turner Prize for Innovation in Construction Technology2003 Cooper-Hewitt, National Design Museum, Smithsonian Institution National Design Award, LifetimeAchievement Award2001 The American Philosophical Society, the Thomas Jeff erson Medal for distinguished achievement in thearts, humanities, or social sciences1999 Historic Landmarks Preservation Center, New York Cultural Laureate1998 The MacDowell Colony, Edward MacDowell Medal1997 Brown University, Independent Award1996 Municipal Art Society, New York City, Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis Medal

1994 New York State, Governor’s Arts Award1994 National Endowment for the Arts, Medal of Arts/Ambassador for the Arts Award1994 Architectural Society of China (Beijing), Gold Medal for Outstanding Achievement in Architecture1994 The Bezalel Academy of Arts and Design of Jerusalem, Jerusalem Prize for Arts and Letters1993 United States, Medal of Freedom1993 France, Offi cer of the Legion of Honor1991 Colbert Foundation, First Award for Excellence1990 University of California at Los Angeles, UCLA Gold Medal1989 Japan, Praemium Imperiale for lifetime achievement in architecture1988 United States, National Medal of Arts1986 United States, the Medal of Liberty1983 Hyatt Foundation, the Pritzker Architecture Prize1981 National Arts Club, Gold Medal of Honor

1981 City of New York, Mayor’s Award of Honor for Art and Culture1981 France, Grand Medal of the Academy of Architecture1979 Rhode Island School of Design, President’s Fellow1979 American Academy of Arts and Letters, Gold Medal for Architecture1979 The American Institute of Architects, the Gold Medal1978 American Society of Interior Designers, Elsie de Wolfe Award1976 The Thomas Jeff erson Memorial, Medal for Architecture1973 The City Club of New York, for New York Award1970 International Institute of Boston, Golden Door Award1963 New York Chapter of the American Institute of Architects, Medal of Honor1961 National Institute of Arts and Letters, Arnold Brunner Award

BIBLIOGRAPHY

Blake, Peter. No Place Like Utopia: Modern Architecture and the Company We Kept. New York: Alfred A. Knopf,1993.Boehm, Gero Von. Conversations with I. M. Pei: Light Is the Key. New York: Prestel, 2000.Cannell, Michael. I. M. Pei: Mandarin of Modernism. New York: Carol Southern Books, 1995.Englar, Mary. I. M. Pei. Chicago: Heinemann Raintree, 2005.Gutman, Robert. Architectural Practice: A Critical View. Princeton, NJ: Princeton Architectural Press, 1988.I. M. Pei & Partners. I. M. Pei & Partners Drawings for the East Building, National Gallery of Art: Its Evolution inSketches, Renderings, and Models, 1968-1978: an exhibition. Developed by Adams Davidson Galleries with thecooperation of the National Gallery of Art and the American Institute of Architects Foundation. Washington D.C.,1978.

Jencks, Charles. The New Paradigm in Architecture: The Language of Post-Modern Architecture. New Haven:Yale University Press, 2002.Jodidio, Philip, and Janet Adams Strong. I. M. Pei: Complete Works. New York: Rizzoli, 2008.Jones, E. Michael. Living Machines: Bauhaus Architecture as Sexual Ideology. San Francisco: Ignatius Press,1995.Levy, Matthys, and Mario Salvadori. Why Buildings Fall Down: How Structures Fail. New York: W. W. Norton &Company, 2002.Lukinson, Sara. First Person Singular, I. M. Pei (video recording). Produced and directed by Peter Rosen for Livesand Legacy Films. PBS Home Video. Alexandria, VA, 1997.Lukinson, Sara. I. M. Pei; The Museum on the Mountain Miho Museum, Shiga, Japan (video recording). Producedby Peter Rosen and Tim Culbert. Directed by Peter Rosen. Home Vision Entertainment. United States, 2003.

Miller, Naomi and Keith Morgan. Boston Architecture: 1975-1990. New York: Prestel, 1990.Plunz, Richard. A History of Housing in New York City: Dwelling Type and Social Change in the AmericanMetropolis. New York: Columbia University Press, 1990.

Rauterburg, Hanno. Talking Architecture: Interviews with Architects. New York: Prestel, 2008.Reid, Aileen. I. M. Pei. Avenel, New Jersey: Crescent Books, 1995.

Wells, Matthew. 30 Bridges. New York: Watson-Guptill Publications, 2002.Wiseman, Carter. I. M. Pei: A Profi le in American Architecture. New York: Harry N. Abrams, Inc., 2001.Zeckendorf, William, and Edward McCreary. The Autobiography of William Zeckendorf. New York: Holt, Rinehartand Winston, 1970.

THANK YOU

By-Zindagi M. Mavani