I.M.

PEI
Quick facts
Birth date:- 26TH APRIL
1914

Education:-
Massachusetts Institute
Of Technology, Harvard
University

Place of birth:- canton,

GUANGZHOU, CHINA

Full name:- Ieoh Ming

Pei
Childhood & Early Life
 I. M. Pei was born on April 26, 1917 in Suzhou, China, to
Tsuyee Pei and Lien Kwun. His father was a promonent
banker. Pei lost his mother to cancer, when he was thirteen.
 He came to the United States at the young age of 17. His
reason for immigrating was to receive an American
education focusing on Architecture.
 He received his Bachelor of Architecture degree from MIT in
1940. Originally, he began his studies at the University of
Pennsylvania, but he believed their curriculum was lacking
in his area of interest, structural engineering.
 In 1946, he was awarded his Masters in Architecture from
the Harvard Graduate School of Design. Once he got his
degree, he was appointed assistant professor.
Personal Life & Legacy
 In 1942, I.M. Pei married fellow architect Eileen Loo and
together they went on to have children Chien Chung Pei, Li
Chung Pei, T’ing Chung, and Liane Pei. His wife died in
June 2014.
 During the mid 1970s, plates of glass fell out of his John
Hancock Tower in Boston, and his reputation was
questioned. He took the criticism in stride and went on to
develop even more extensive glass buildings such as his
Allied Bank Tower in Dallas, the Louvre Museum, and the
famous Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Museum in Ohio.
 According to the Pritzker Architecture committee, his
strengths lie in his ability to “draw together disparate people
and disciplines to create a harmonious environment.”
 I.M. Pei died on 16 May 2019, at Manhattan, New York City,
at the age of 102.
Career
 While still enrolled in Harvard, his education was interrupted in 1943
when he served on the National Defense Research Committee. During
WWII, this committee was set to conduct research on the devices of
warfare.
 From 1945 to 1948, he started his architectural career by teaching as an
assistant professor at Harvard. Here, he befriended two students with
whom he was able to design several low-cost houses, winning
recognition in the Arts and Architecture magazine.
 In 1948, he accepted the prestigious position of Director of Architecture
at Webb & Knapp, a real estate company. While with the company, he
was able to produce his first successful project, when he designed a two-
story corporate building for Gulf Oil in Atlanta, Georgia, in 1949.
 During his stint with Webb & Knapp, he designed Mile High Center in
Colorado and a united urban area for Washington, D.C., L'Enfant Plaza.
 In 1955, he decided to break free and established his own architectural
firm called I.M. Pei & Associates.
 His own firm designed some prominent buildings across the globe from
Taiwan to Colorado. These include the John Fitzgerald Kennedy Library
in Boston, the Grand Louvre pyramid in Paris, and the Bank of China
Tower in Hong Kong which stands over 72 stories high.
 He retired from his firm in 1990 but continued to design buildings till his
last days.
Design and philosophy

 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 the 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 LOSELY
REALETD YO HIDGH TECH MOVEMENT
 However many of his designs result from original design concept
 He frequently works on a large scale and is renowned for his sharp, geometric designs
 I.MPei will likely be remembered as a bastion of modernism whose appreciation for
the urbane in art, planning, and architecture led him to the design of Many of the
world’s most thoughtful projects.
HIS FAMOUS WORKS
John F. Kennedy Presidential Library and
Museum, Boston, USA, 1979
Pei was commissioned to design the John F.
Kennedy Presidential Library and Museum to the
memory of the United States' 35th president.
Located on a 10-acre park, overlooking the sea
that he loved and the city that launched him to
greatness, the Library stands as a vibrant tribute
to the life and times of John F. Kennedy.
Designed as a timeless piece, the building is
overlooking Boston, and the ocean and beyond,
the former landfill site was planted with beach
grass to recall Kennedy's love of the sea. A split-
level design organizes museum spaces in a layer
below ground, with key emotive elements
dramatically isolated above.
Le Grand Louvre, Paris, France, 1989
The expansion and modernization of the historic Louvre was probably one of the most iconic
buildings of I.M. Pei. The challenge was to modernize and expand the building and better
integrate it with the city, all without compromising the integrity of the historic structure. 
A centrally located glass pyramid forms the main entrance and provides direct access to
galleries in each of the museum's three wings. The pyramid's distinctly modern articulation
complements the historic Louvre in a dialogue of harmonious contrast. 
The Materials and Structural Development 
A glance at the structure and one can infer the two main materials the pyramid is composed of-
metal and glass. Pei used numerous glass panels because he was “building a structure as
transparent as the technology could reach.” Although glass is predominant in the envelope of
the pyramid, it is NOT the structural element. The structural frame is a combination of 
stainless steel and aluminum profiles which are cladded with glass. The pyramid can be
described as a “space (metal) frame with integrated glazing (glass)”. 
Records state that the main pyramid consists of 603 rhombus-
shaped glass segments and 70 triangular glass segments and
metal poles integrating 95 tons of steel and 105 tons of
aluminum. You will find 171 panes on three sides and 160 panes
on the fourth side, which has the entrance to the pyramid. The
pyramid is about 21.6 meters tall covering a base surface area of
1,000 square meters.
The glass pyramid, inspired by the Pyramid of Giza, was
designed to provide a contemporary spin to the surroundings
while acting as a central focal point. However, the modern
structure is not supposed to take away from the traditional
nature of the museum but rather complement it.
Bank of China Tower, Hong Kong, China, 1990
Completed in 1990, Pei's tower represents the
successful integration of structure and form to meet
the needs of both client and city. With a limited
budget and a difficult inland site, the owner requested
a distinctive regional headquarters with an imposing
banking hall and 130,000-square-metre of office
space. 
Pei designed a tall and dynamic structure that
responds to that criteria. The tower would take
advantage of the surrounding views while being
robust enough to withstand a typhoon. 
Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, Cleveland, USA, 1995
Located in Cleveland, Ohio, Pei's designe embodies the music celebrated within, the building is an icon of the city
that coined the term "rock and roll". The architect juxtaposed simple geometric forms to combine diverse functions
within a unified whole: a theater cantilevered over Lake Erie one one side balances a circular performance drum on
the other, while a 165-foot-high orthogonal tower rises from the water to engage a tetrahedral tower tent.
Pei's building acts like an explosive musical chord, the sculptural components reverberate out from the center. Set
back in 1.2-acre performance plaza on the roof of the main exhibition space, the building rises with eight unique
floor plates of decreasing size, culminating in the Hall of Fame, contemplative fiber optics chamber.
Miho Museum, Kyoto, Japan, 1997
The Miho Museum is situated in the natural rich mountains of Shigaraki, Japan. Pei's
concept is based on the Taoyuan Township, which is a destination town drawn by the
Chinese poet 'Peach Flower Geno', is guided by the tree-lined path of the weeping
cherry blossoms, beyond the tunnel and the suspension bridge to the art museum. 
As visitors travel through the beautiful arcing tunnel, they see an entrance with a
grommet-shaped roof on the other side of the bridge over the valley. When visitors
step into the calm entrance, they are surrounded by the light that is falling from the
glass roof and the gentle beige limestone wall, and a large space with a row of gentle
mountains will extend to the far side.
Suzhou Museum, Suzhou, China, 2006
Founded in 1960 and originally located in the national historic landmark, Zhong
Wang Fu palace complex, Suzhou Museum has been a highly-regarded regional
museum with a number of significant Chinese cultural relics. 
A new museum designed by world famous architect I.M.Pei was completed in
October 2006, covering over 10,700 square meter and located at the cross of
Dongbei Street and Qimen Road. The design of this new museum visually
complements the traditional architecture of Zhong Wang Fu. 
Museum of Islamic Art, Doha, Qatar, 2008
The Museum of Islamic Art is one of Pei's latest
projects built in Doga. Built in 2008, the
museum building has rapidly become an iconic
feature of the Doha landscape. Standing alone
on reclaimed land, the building draws much
influence from ancient Islamic architecture,
notably the Ibn Tulun Mosque in Cairo.
The Museum is comprised of a main building
with an adjacent education wing connected by a
large central courtyard. The main building rises
five-storeys, topped by a high domed atrium
within a central tower.  The cream-coloured
limestone captures the changes in light and
shade during the day. The centrepiece of the
atrium is a curved double staircase leading up to
the first floor. Above it floats an ornate circular
metal chandelier echoing the curve of the
staircase.
Develop a Build Eliminate
signature style
resilience the
inessential
Develop a signature style
According to ArchDaily, as a student of
Le Corbusier, Pei embodied the core
Designers all know that the painstaking
detail of the process can be unforgiving and
This expressed goal of Pei should be the
mantra of every designer or design
belief of According
modernismtothat form follows
ArchDaily, thankless.
as a student of Being Pei
Le Corbusier, resilient in thethe
embodied face of
core studio.  Draw it on your white board or
function,belief
and added his own that form follows function,
of modernism adversityandis aadded
skill every successful
his own hang it on your wall.  Pei's simplicity
interpretation. Pei believed
interpretation. that formthat formdesigner
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His work early years
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Boston after the
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patterns, cannot defend your design without
philosophy through his incorporation of facade of the 60-story block had design knowing what you're designing for," said
making his buildings instantly recognizable. He considered the role of geometry
functional symbols into all works. His issues that led to delays and cost overruns. Pei.  This devotion to craft and selling a
in planning and designing
signature style was geometric patterns, buildings byHeusing
latera faced
variety of linesover
criticism and polygons.
the glass vision make this design legend someone
making hisPei’s signature
buildings pyramids can be enjoyed
instantly at the
pyramid in National Gallery
the courtyard of Art
of the East
LOUVRE. the world will sorely miss.
Building in Washington, DC., and the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in
recognizable. 
Cleveland, Ohio. When you see his pyramid at the Louvre you know that is
Pei. 
Awards & Achievements
 In 1979, he was awarded the Gold
Medal for Architecture of the
American Academy of Arts and
Letters. The same year he won the
Gold Medal of the American Institute
of Architects
 In 1983, he was awarded the
prestigious 'Pritzker Prize', considered
as Nobel Prize of architecture.
 On July 4, 1986, President Ronald
Reagan bestowed the Medal of
Liberty upon Pei.
 In 1993, President George H.W. Bush
awarded him with the Medal
Freedom.
 In 2003, he was given the Lifetime
Achievement Award from the
Smithsonian Institution’s Cooper-
Hewitt National Design Museum
“YOU CAN NOT DEFEND
YOUR DESIGN
WITHOUT KNOWING
WHAT ARE U
DESIGNING FOR”
- IM PEI
PRESENTED BY
HANISHA SHETTY