I.M. Pei Draft

I.M Pei: An Asian Abstractionist
The Style:
His style is often called “Modern”, but easily breaks that categorization. Pei’s work combined an abstract appearance using elementary shapes. He also used the fundamentals of balance and symmetry in his work. Most of his projects were mostly comprised of stone, concrete and steel. His earliest buildings were designed in the 1940’s and still look modern and relevant today.

The Beginnings:
The famous Chinese-American architect I.M. Pei was born in Guangzhou with the name Ieoh Ming Pei in April 26, 1917. From that southern Chinese city, the Pei family moved to Hong Kong and later to Shanghai. While in Hong Kong, Pei attended St. Paul’s College. Shanghai surrounded Pei with skyscrapers and international business. Pei attended St. John’s University for his high school education before moving to America.

American Life:
At age 18, Pei moved to the United States to attend University of Pennsylvania to study architecture. After U. Penn, he attended Massachusetts Institute of Technology and received a Bachelor of Architecture degree. He then studied at Harvard Graduate School of Design where he eventually received a Master’s degree of Architecture.

After becoming a professor at Harvard, Pei became a naturalized citizen of the United States in 1952. He continues to work and design today.

Awards:
+ The Alpha Rho Chi Metal
+ MIT Traveling Fellowship
+ AIA Gold Medal
+ Medal of Liberty from President Ronald Reagan
+ Pritzker Architecture Prize in 1983
+ 1968 Architectural Firm Award of the American Institute of Architects
+ The Arnold Brunner Award of the National Institute of Arts and Letters
+ The Thomas Jefferson Memorial
+ The Gold Medal for Architecture of the American Academy of Arts and Letters
+ The Mayor's Award of Honor for Art and Culture (NYC)
+ 2004 Laura Honoris Causa by the University of Rome

Projects:
+ Mile High Center (Denver, CO)
+ Erieview Plan (Cleveland, OH)
+ National Center for Atmospheric Research (Boulder, Co)
+ Kips Bay Plaza (New York, NY)
+ Government Center Master Plan (Boston, MA)
+ Place Ville-Marie (Montreal)
+ Luce Memorial Chapel (Taichung, Taiwan)
+ Society Hill Towers (Philadelphia, PA)
+ Sculpture Wing of the Des Moines Art Center (Des Moines, IO)
+ Christian Science Center (Boston, MA)
+ East Building, National Gallery of Art (Washington, DC)
+ John Hancock Tower (Boston, MA)
+ Bank of China Tower (Hong Kong)
+ Apartment for Steve Jobs
+ Pyramids of the Louvre (Paris)
+ Four Seasons Hotel New York (New York, NY)
+ Rock and Roll Hall of Fame (Cleveland, OH)
+ New Wing of Suzhou Museum (Suzhou, China)

Currently Under Construction:
+ Embassy of the People’s Republic of China (Washington, DC)
+ Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center (Los Angeles, CA – 2002-2008)
+ NASCAR Hall of Fame (Charlotte, NC – 2009)

An useful article: Mandarin of Modern
Biography from Pei's Firm