i.m. pei powerpoint
TRANSCRIPT
I.M. PEI(1917-Present)
Global Architect
I.M Pei is a Chinese-American architect, known for his creative use of modern
architecture, in combination with natural elements and open spaces.
Overview of I.M. PEI• Pei has designed more than fifty projects in this country
and abroad, many of which have been award-winners. • I.M. Pei is known for using large, abstract forms and
sharp, geometric designs. His glass-clad structures seem to spring from the high-tech modernist movement.
What does an Architect Do?• Architects design all kinds of buildings. They design schools and
skyscrapers. They design hospitals and hotels. They also design plain old regular houses.
• Any building that is used by people was probably designed by some architect.
• Before constructing a building, an architect needs to draw a plan of the building. Sometimes architects will make a cardboard or plastic model of the building.
• The building is then built by a construction company which follows the directions of the plans for the building. The architect will closely supervise the construction company to make sure that the building is built according to the plans.
Early Years• I.M. Pei (Ieoh Ming Pie) was born in China on April 26,
1917.• Pei is one of five children.• Pei is the son of a banker and an artistic mother, who took
him to see dreamy Chinese gardens as a child.
Pei was quoted later in life as saying, "These have always been the most important inspiration to me as an architect.” "I have never forgotten those gardens: wonderful marriages of man-made and natural design. I've come back to them again and again; they are my guide.”
More Early Years• When Pei was 10, he moved with his family to Shanghai.• His early schooling was rigorous, only allowing one half day
off per week for leisure.• Pei used this time playing pool and watching Hollywood
movies.• He also learned basic English by reading the Bible.• A theme in Pei’s family was always to help the less fortunate.
Education• At 17, Pei traveled to America and attended The University of
Pennsylvania.• He then transferred to Massachusetts Institute of Technology,
where he earned a bachelors degree in architecture in 1940.• Pei continued his studies at Harvard University’s Graduate
School of Design, where he earned a Master’s Degree in Architecture.
• In 1944, Pei returned to Harvard University as an Associate Professor.
Career: Urban Focus• 1948, Pei joined a New York-based architecture firm, but left soon
after to start his own firm.• One of his first projects was the Mile High Center in Denver,
Colorado.• The curved glass was inspired by the round rocks and winding rivers
like the gardens he visited as a child with his mother.
Career: Urban Focus• By 1955, I.M. Pei & Partners was well underway.• Pei took on Kips Bay Towers in New York City, paying such close
attention to detail that he would examine the cement to ensure consistency in color.
• 1958, Pei designed the Royal Bank Plaza in Montreal, Canada.Kips Bay Towers NYC
Royal Bank Plaza, Montreal
According to the Canadian Encyclopedia, “its grand plaza designed by internationally US famous architect I.M. Pei, helped to set new standards for architecture in Canada in the late 1960’s.”
Urban Focus: Society Hill, Philadelphia-Pei designed Society Hill Towers and the surrounding townhouses, to conform to the existing colonial architecture of the neighborhood.
-It is considered a landmark in the heart of what was destined to be one of the world’s finest urban residential centers.
-Nothing like this had ever been planned on such a grand scale in the center of a major American city.
A three-building residential block injecting cubist design into the 18th-century style of the neighborhood in Philadelphia had never been done before.
Kennedy Library• After being hand-picked by President Kennedy’s widow, Jacqueline Kennedy,
to design the Kennedy Library, Pei said it was the most important commission of his life.
• The project took much longer than it was supposed to (completed in 1979), and it’s location was changed from Harvard Square to Cambridge, Massachusetts.
• Pei did not love the outcome, but it did boost his reputation as an architect.
Le Grand Louvre
• 1981, Pei was asked to revitalize The Louvre Museum in Paris, France.
• The entrance he created for this structure has become his most recognizable piece of work.
• He proposed at the center there be a glass and steel pyramid. It was mirrored by another inverted pyramid to reflect sunlight into the room.
• Many believed Pei’s plans were not feasible and too risky.
More Louvre• Pei was forced to design a full-sized ‘mock’
pyramid to place in the courtyard before his design was approved.
• More than 60,000 people came to the courtyard to view his ‘model’ of the pyramid.
• After winning approval, the Louvre courtyard was opened to the public in 1989.
• Pei said, “After the Louvre, I thought no project would ever be too difficult.”
Images of the Louvre Pyramid
Inside View of the Pyramid
I.M. Pei Around America
Javitz Center, New York Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Cleveland, OH
Meyerson Symphony Center Dallas, TX
Miami Tower, Miami Florida
National Gallery of Art - East BuildingWashington, DC
More Pei Around the World
Bank of China, Hong Kong German Historic Museum, Berlin, Germany
Personal and Current Life• Pei is married and has four children, all attended Harvard
University.• Two of his children are architects and work at Pei’s NYC office
today.• In his 90’s, Pei is still actively designing buildings around the
world and gardening at his home in New York.• Pei has received many honors for his work including a Lifetime
Award from the National Design Museum.
PROJECT: MARSHMALLOW STRUCTURE
Be an Architect! Design your dream building out of toothpicks & marshmallows.