- I. M. Pei
Infobox Architect
name = Ieoh Ming Pei
nationality = American
image_size= 150
caption =
birth_date = birth date and age|1917|4|26
birth_place = Guangzhou (Canton),China
practice_name =Pei Cobb Freed & Partners
significant_buildings=Louvre Pyramid
Bank of China Tower
Javits Convention Center
East Building,National Gallery of Art
significant_projects =
significant_design =
awards = AIA Gold MedalIeoh Ming Pei (linktext|貝|聿|銘) (b.
April 26 ,1917 ), commonly known by his initials I. M. Pei, is aPritzker Prize -winning Chinese-born Americanarchitect , known as the last master of highmodernist architecture . He works with the abstract form, using stone,concrete ,glass , andsteel . Pei is perhaps one of the most successful Asian architects of the 20th century, with his works built all over the world.Early life and education
Pei was born in
Guangzhou , inGuangdong ,Republic of China onApril 26 ,1917 , to a prominent family fromSuzhou ,Jiangsu . His family has lived in Suzhou since the 15th century. His father, a banker, was later the director of theBank of China and the governor of the Central Bank of China. His family later moved toHong Kong , where he lived until he finished junior high school, and then moved toShanghai when his father took up the directorship of Bank of China in Shanghai. The Pei family's ancestral residence is in a renowned garden in Suzhou, now part of theWorld Heritage Site listed Classical Gardens of Suzhou. The house was called the Garden of the Lion Forest, and consisted of many rock sculptures carved naturally by water. Pei loved how the buildings and the nature were combined, and especially liked the way light and shadow mixed.His first education was at
St. Paul's College (primary school),Hong Kong and then at Saint John's University (high school),Shanghai before moving to theUnited States to study architecture at the age of 18 at theUniversity of Pennsylvania . He received a Bachelor of Architecture degree fromMassachusetts Institute of Technology in 1940. He is a 1940 recipient of the Alpha Rho Chi Medal, the MIT Traveling Fellowship, and the AIA Gold Medal. He then studied at theHarvard Graduate School of Design . Shortly after his studies there, he was a member of theNational Defense Research Committee inPrinceton, New Jersey . [http://www.netglimse.com/celebs/pages/i_m_pei/index.shtml I M Pei Biography, Bio, Profile, pictures, photos from Netglimse.com ] ]In 1944, he returned to Harvard, studying under
Walter Gropius , who was previously associated with theBauhaus . He received a Master's degree in Architecture in 1946. He was a member of the Harvard faculty subsequently attaining the rank of assistant professor. He received the Wheelwright Traveling Fellowship in 1951 and became anaturalized citizen of the United States in 1954. [ [http://www.pcfandp.com/a/f/fme/imp/b/b.html Official biography from Pei Cobb Freed & Partners website] ]Career
In 1948,
William Zeckendorf hired Pei to work at the real estate development corporationWebb and Knapp in a newly created post, Director of Architecture. While at Webb and Knapp, Pei worked on many large-scale architectural and planning projects across the country and designed his buildings mostly in the manner ofLudwig Mies van der Rohe . [cite web
url = http://www.pcf-p.com/a/f/fme/imp/b/b.html
title = I.M. Pei's biography page at the web site of his firm, Pei Cobb Freed & Partners ]Pei founded his own architectural firm in 1955, which was originally known as I. M. Pei and Associates and, later, I. M. Pei & Partners until 1989 when it became known as
Pei Cobb Freed & Partners recognizingJames Ingo Freed andHenry N. Cobb .Project list
*1954–1959 — Mile High Center, in
Denver, Colorado , USA
*1960–Erieview PlanCleveland, Ohio
*1961–1967 —National Center for Atmospheric Research , inBoulder, Colorado , USA
*1961 —Kips Bay Plaza , inNew York, New York , USA [http://www.pcfandp.com/a/p/5705/s.html]
*1961 — Government Center Master Plan,Boston, Massachusetts , USA
*1962 —Place Ville-Marie , inMontreal, Quebec , Canada
*1962 —Kennedy Theatre ,University of Hawaii , USA, [http://www.hawaii.edu/theatre/facilities/facilities.htm Official web page]
*1962 —Hale Manoa Dormitory ,East West Center ,University of Hawaii , USA
*1963 —Luce Memorial Chapel ,Tunghai University ,Taichung ,Taiwan
*1963 —Society Hill Towers –Philadelphia, PA , [http://www.emporis.com/en/wm/bu/?id=118005 Unofficial website]
*1964 — Green Building,Massachusetts Institute of Technology
*1964 —S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications atSyracuse University —Syracuse, New York
*1966–1968 — Sculpture Wing of theDes Moines Art Center inDes Moines, Iowa
** [http://www.desmoinesartcenter.org/visit/v_pei.html Official page of Pei's Sculpture Wing]
*1966 —Silver Towers atNew York University
*1967 — Hoffman Hall atUniversity of Southern California
*1968–1972 — 50 FAA air traffic control towers, in various locations throughout theUnited States , such as O'Hare International Airport, Lambert-St. Louis International Airport, Columbia Metropolitan Airport (South Carolina), and Indianapolis International Airport (since demolished).
*1968–1974 — Christian Science Center, inBoston, Massachusetts
*1968 —Everson Museum of Art , inSyracuse, New York
*1969 —Bushnell Tower , inHartford, Connecticut , [http://www.bushnelltower.org Building website]
*1969 —Cleo Rogers Memorial Library , inColumbus, Indiana
*1969 — Academic Center,State University of New York at Fredonia ,Fredonia, New York
*1970 —Sundrome (National Airlines terminal) atJFK Airport inNew York, New York
*1971 —Harbor Towers , inBoston, Massachusetts
*1971 —American Life Insurance Company Building (renamed Wilmington Tower) , inWilmington, Delaware
*1972 — Governor's Residence Halls atSUNY Buffalo
*1972 —Dallas City Hall , Dallas, Texas
*1972 —Paul Mellon Arts Center atChoate Rosemary Hall inWallingford, Connecticut
*1972 — Pei Residence Halls atNew College of Florida ,Sarasota, Florida
*1973 — Commerce Court West inToronto, Ontario
*1973 —Spelman Halls atPrinceton University
*1973 —Herbert F. Johnson Museum of Art ,Cornell University , inIthaca, New York
*1974–1978 — East Building,National Gallery of Art , inWashington, DC [ [http://www.nga.gov/collection/eastarch1.shtm Pei's audio tour of the East Building addition to the National Gallery of Art] ]
** [http://www.nga.gov/exhibitions/20th_intro.htm Official East Building project webpage]
*1975 —OCBC Centre inSingapore .
*1975 — The Lamar Building Penthouse inAugusta, Georgia
*1976 —National Bank of Commerce building, inLincoln, Nebraska [http://www.bluffton.edu/~sullivanm/linpei/linpei.html]
*1976 —John Hancock Tower , inBoston, Massachusetts — "Pei gives Henry Cobb the credit for [http://www.pcf-p.com/a/p/6710/s.html this building] "
*1976 —University of Rochester 's [http://www.rochester.edu/maps/wilson/ Wilson Commons]
*1978–1982 —Indiana University Art Museum inBloomington, Indiana
*1979 —John F. Kennedy Library , inBoston, Massachusetts [ [http://forum.wgbh.org/wgbh/forum.php?lecture_id=1655 Conversation with I.M. Pei about JFK Museum, Boston - with Robert Campbell, critic, Boston Globe (audio/video stream)] ]
*1979 —One Dallas Centre , inDallas, Texas [ [http://www.dallasarchitecture.info/onedalc.htm Dallas Architecture Information] ]
*1979 —Baltimore World Trade Center , inBaltimore, Maryland
*1979–1986 —Javits Convention Center inNew York, New York
*1980–1985 —Raffles City in Singapore.
*1981 — the Texas Commerce Tower inHouston, Texas , currently the JPMorgan Chase Tower; (3D/International cooperated with Pei on the design of this building). The nearby drive-in bank was Pei's first drive in bank project.
*1982 —16th Street Mall inDenver, Colorado .
*1982–1990 — Bank of China Tower, inHong Kong
** [http://www.designboom.com/portrait/pei_bank.html Bank of China Tower project website]
*1982 —Apartment forSteve Jobs
*1983 —ARCO Tower ,Dallas, Texas
*1985 —Wiesner building , MIT,Cambridge, Massachusetts
*1986 —Fountain Place ,Dallas, Texas
*1987 — CenTrust Tower (now Bank of America Tower),Miami ,Florida
*1987 —IBM Somers Office Complex ,Somers, NY
*1989 —Morton H. Meyerson Symphony Center inDallas, Texas
*1989 — Carl C. Icahn Center for Science atChoate Rosemary Hall inWallingford, Connecticut
*1989 — Headquarters forCreative Artists Agency ,Los Angeles, California
*1989 — Pyramids of the Louvre, inParis ,France withPeter Rice
** [http://www.GreatBuildings.com/buildings/Pyramide_du_Louvre.html Pyramide du Louvre website] . (See also:La Pyramide Inversée .)
*1990 —The Gateway, Singapore
*1992 —The Kirklin Clinic of theUniversity of Alabama at Birmingham Health System,Birmingham ,Alabama
*1994 —Four Seasons Hotel New York ,New York City ,New York
*1995 —Rock and Roll Hall of Fame , inCleveland, Ohio
*1996 —Miho Museum , Shiga, Japan
** [http://www.miho.or.jp/english/index.htm Official museum website]
** [http://www.miho.or.jp/english/architec/architec.htm Official information on the architecture]
*1999–2006 — Musée d'Art Moderne Grand-Duc Jean, inLuxembourg City ,Luxembourg
** [http://www.mudam.lu Official museum website] The Folly at Oare House in England
*2000 —Dexter the Jack Russel's Ears ,Pershore ,UK
*2001 —Essensa East Forbes ,Fort Bonifacio ,Philippines
*2001 —Friend Center for Engineering , atPrinceton University .
*2002 —Tour EDF ,La Défense ,France
*2003 — extension building to theDeutsches Historisches Museum ("German history museum"), inBerlin ,Germany .
*2004 —Torre Espacio ,Madrid ,Spain
*2005 —Ferguson Center for the Performing Arts atChristopher Newport University inNewport News, Virginia .
*2005 — [http://www.pcf-p.com/a/p/0007/s.html Bossone Research Enterprise Center] atDrexel University inPhiladelphia, Pennsylvania .
*2006 —Martha Stewart Center for Living at Mount Sinai Hospital inManhattan (currently under construction).
*2006 — Embassy of the People’s Republic of China, Washington D.C.(Official opening on July 29, 2008).
*2002–2006 — New wing ofSuzhou Museum , inSuzhou ,China
*2004–2007 — Museum of Islamic Arts inDoha ,Qatar
*2002–2008 — Ronald ReaganUCLA Medical Center inLos Angeles , CA
** [http://www.ucmt.org/westwood/html/about/index.shtml Project website]
*2009 —NASCAR Hall of Fame ,Charlotte ,North Carolina .elected works
2007 — time-lapse video of the construction of [http://www.newswise.com/articles/view/530695/ Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center] .
Honors
I.M. Pei is a Fellow of the American Institute of Architects and a Corporate Member of the Royal Institute of British Architects. He has also been elected to the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, the National Academy of Design, and the American Academy and Institute of Arts and Letters. In 1975 he was elected to the American Academy, which is restricted to a lifetime membership of fifty members. In 1978, he became Chancellor of the American Academy, the first architect to hold that position. He served until 1980. Mr. Pei was inducted a "Membre de l'Institut de France" in 1984, and decorated by the French government as a Commandeur in the "Ordre des Arts et des Lettres" in 1985. On July 4, 1986, he was one of twelve naturalized American citizens to receive the Medal of Liberty from President Ronald Reagan. Two years later French president François Mitterrand inducted I. M. Pei as a Chevalier in the Légion d'Honneur In November 1993 he was raised to Officier. Also in 1993 he was elected an Honorary Academician of the Royal Academy of Arts in London. In 1997 the Académie d'Architecture de France elected him Foreign Member. [http://www.pcf-p.com/a/f/fme/imp/b/b.html]
Family and later life
In 1990, Pei retired from his firm but still maintains an office there. He has 4 children, 2 of them architects. He has two sons, Chien Chung (Didi) Pei and Li Chung (Sandi) Pei, who have their own firm. I. M. Pei participated in design work with his sons' firm, Pei Partnership Architects in 1992. [http://www.ppa-ny.com/pdf/heraldtribune.pdf]
References
*
Gero von Boehm , "Conversations with I.M. Pei: "Light is the Key" " ISBN 3-7913-2176-5
*Michael Cannell , "I.M. Pei : Mandarin of Modernism" ISBN 0-517-79972-3 ( [http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/style/longterm/books/chap1/im_pei.htm Excerpt] )
*Carter Wiseman , "I. M. Pei: A Profile in American Architecture" ISBN 0-8109-3477-9External links
* [http://www.pcfandp.com/ Pei Cobb Freed & Partners website]
* [http://archrecord.construction.com/people/interviews/archives/0406IMPei-1.asp Interview with I.M. Pei (June 2004)]
* [http://www.nyc-architecture.com/ARCH/ARCH-PeiCobbFried.htm New York Architecture Images- Pei, Cobb, Freed]
* [http://www.pritzkerprize.com/pei.htm Pritzker Prize biography, Photo Gallery, and Acceptance Speech]
*
* [http://www.worldofbiography.com/9172-I%20M%20Pei/life.asp Biography] (World of Biography)
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