082 I. M. PEI
1941. Te laborious design process saw I. M. Pei & Partners produce more than 150 drawings and models until, in a moment of breakthrough, the problem of the site’s irregular shape was solved by dividing it into two triangular forms. Te triangle gave the building its leitmotif: a simple geometric theme with multiple variations appearing throughout the design. The angular structure of crisp glass and marble forms set around a triangular courtyard is considered one of Pei’s finest achievements. Critics praised it for its balance of monumentality and warm, welcoming character, hailing it as one of the most important American buildings of the era.
In 1979, Pei was awarded the Gold Medal of the American Institute of Architects, its highest honour. Te accolade, coupled with the success of the National Gallery of Art building could not have arrived at a better time for the architect, who was still reeling from one of the greatest setbacks of his, or indeed any architect’s career: the near complete failure of one of his firm’s most prominent skyscrapers, the 60-storey, 790ft-tall John Hancock Tower at Copley Square in Boston. Just as the glass-covered building was nearing completion in November 1972, a window blew out, then another and another, littering the streets below with shattered glass. Nearly a third of the building’s glass fell out before the source of the problem could be identified, which was not a flaw in Pei’s design, but a defect in the new blue reflective glass, which prevented it from flexing in high winds. Lawsuits flew in all directions and the fight to clear its name nearly brought I. M. Pei & Associates to its knees. When the building finally opened in 1976, it attracted numerous awards, including the prestigious American Institute of Architects’ 25-Year Award, but it would be some years before Pei wholly won back the trust of American clients.
In 1982, Pei was invited to design the new headquarters of the Bank of China in Hong Kong, the bank which his father had once managed in the 1920s. Te narrow, glass- covered skyscraper he devised is one of his most famous works in Asia, a commanding symbol of economic prowess and architectural innovation. Completed in 1989, the tower’s sleek, angular form rises 1,209ft above the bustling streets of Hong Kong, its asymmetrical profile reflecting Pei’s mastery of geometry and balance. Comprising four vertical shafts, it emerges from a large cube, reducing its mass, quadrant by quadrant and culminating in a single prism. Defined by prominent triangular and diamond shapes, the striking structure was a remarkable feat considering the compact site, restricted budget and extremely high structural demands of building high rises in Hong Kong, where wind load requirements were more than double that of New York City. Pei’s elegant solution was to use triangular frameworks, which transferred the weight of
the tower onto the four main columns. Tis system not only allows high-velocity winds to be resisted, but reduces the number of internal vertical supports needed. As a result, the 70-storey Bank of China tower uses much less steel than similarly sized buildings. Undoubtedly one of Pei’s most iconic and controversial works is the Louvre pyramid, which stands as an arresting symbol of modernity against the historic grandeur of the ancient museum. President François Mitterrand greatly admired the East Building of the National Gallery of Art in Washington and felt that something similar could be achieved in Paris where the Louvre was in sore need of renovation. Pei’s proposition of a glass pyramid in the centre of the Cour Napoleon to serve as a new main entrance faced fierce opposition from critics who claimed that it was sacrilegious to introduce
such a modern design to the museum’s classic French Renaissance architecture. Pei countered the critics by arguing that his pyramid was simply an updated take on a traditional form that had an antecedent in the geometric work of the 17th-century French landscape architect André Le Nôtre. Despite Pei’s reasoned argument, it was Mitterrand who ensured that the project was brought to fruition. The new entrance, which invites visitors into a subterranean world of art and culture, opened in 1989 and within a few years came to be accepted and even admired by those who had spoken out against it.
Pei was never one for staying within his comfort zone. One of his most unexpected commissions was the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in downtown Cleveland, Ohio (1993– 1995), a museum packed with exhibits
President François Mitterrand admired the East Building of the National Gallery of Art in Washington and felt something similar could be achieved in Paris where the Louvre was in sore need of renovation
Right I. M. Pei walking up the stairs at the National Gallery of Art East Building, Washington, D.C.
Middle Facade of Bank of China Tower (1982–1989), Hong Kong
Far right Undoubtedly one of Pei’s most iconic and controversial works is the Louvre pyramid
RIGHT: MARC RIBOUD/FONDS MARC RIBOUD AU MNAAG/MAGNUM PHOTOS MIDDLE: SOUTH HO FAR RIGHT: GIOVANNA SILVA
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