Geometry in Glass and Steel: The Architectural Vision of I. M. Pei

By Jaehyun Lee

For anyone visiting Paris, the Louvre museum, along with the Eiffel Tower, are most likely to be at the top of their bucket list. It is well known that the architect behind the Eiffel Tower was Gustav Eiffel, who laid out the blueprint to construct a tower entirely out of iron alloy.  However, it seems most people are oblivious to the figure who devised the idea of a glass pyramid to serve as the entrance to one of the world’s greatest museums, and how his name is regarded in the world of architecture. This article introduces Ieoh Ming Pei, a Chinese-born American architect known for his modern and geometric models. He is a receiver of the Pritzker Prize(1983), often nicknamed ‘the Nobel Prize for Architecture.’ By focusing on his two great works- The Bank of China Tower along with the The Louvre Pyramid- this investigative report on the architect aims to understand his design philosophy, and the significance of his works in architecture history. 

The Bank of China Tower was a striking addition to Hong Kong’s densifying skyline in the late 1980s. When construction was finished in 1990, it stood tall, 367 meters high, as the world’s tallest building outside the United States. Even to this present day, The BOC Tower remains as a prominent, noteworthy skyscraper in Hong Kong’s ‘concrete jungle’ One factor contributing to its enduring status can be attributed to a triangular, asymmetrical facade that makes the building so unique. An introductory paragraph about the building, posted on the official website of the Bank of China, reads: 

“His inspiration for the building's construction was the elegant stature of bamboo, its sectioned trunk reaching higher and higher with each new growth. The BOC Tower is symbolic of strength, vitality, growth and enterprise, representing Bank of China (Hong Kong)'s rapid development.”

The Bank of China Tower not only symbolizes growth, strength, and development, but it also integrates traditional Chinese design into modern architecture. Bamboo is a motif deeply rooted in Chinese culture, and Pei’s design showcases the interaction of tradition and innovation. 

The tower consists of four sections, all extruding from one of the four quadrants of the construction site.  The 52m by 52m plot was divided into four with two intersecting diagonals. Mr. Sandi Pei, the son of I. M. Pei, recalled in an interview done by ‘M Plus’ on Youtube:

“My father already had this notion, that if the building would be subdivided into these four quadrants, and then extruded in some way, that the building form might emerge that could be of interest.”

Mr. Pei further explains that the final design for the tower came to them, as they ‘pushed and pulled’ with a paper model. The four sections, clad with reflective glass, end at different heights with the tallest facing the harbor. These characteristics have led to the Bank of China Tower winning multiple design awards to this day,  including the AIA Reynolds Memorial Award in 1991, and the Ten Best Architecture in Hong Kong in 1999.

The Bank of China Tower has a modern facade, and demonstrates how simplicity can embody a modern taste. It stands as a testament to Leonardo Da Vinci’s famous quote:

“Simplicity is the ultimate sophistication.”

The Louvre Pyramid serves as the entrance to the underground Louvre museum. The Louvre Palace, the Palais du Louvre, originally served as the Louvre museum, but due to its increasing popularity and the urgent need of renewal of the building itself, France’s then-president, François Mitterand, had the renewal of the Louvre museum start as a part of the ‘grands projets.’  Pei was commissioned to design the pyramid, and the new Louvre was finished in 1988. 

According to two articles published by the French newspaper ‘Le Monde’ on February 11th, 1985, ‘DIX QUESTIONS SUR LE GRAND LOUVRE’ and ‘Première réponse de l'architecte I.-M. Pei à la polémique publique,’ the commotion surrounding the architect and the design is clearly shown. Below are a few citations from the two articles:

“Polémique ou pas… Cela confortera… ceux qui s’élèvent contre le ‘fait du prince’, qui a choisi seul l’architecte américain d’origine chinoise, I. M. Pei…”

Translation:  “Controversy or not… this will only bolster those who oppose the ‘fait du prince’—the president’s single‑handed choice of the Chinese‑American architect, I. M. Pei…”

“Je suis peiné et surpris… On en a fait une question politique… C’est un coup bas, a low blow.” -I. M. Pei

Translation: “I am pained and surprised… They have turned it into a political issue… It’s a low blow.”

“Les détracteurs du projet… critiquent… surtout sa partie visible, la pyramide.”

Translation: “The project’s detractors… criticize… above all its visible part, the pyramid.”

“Les ‘querelles’ ont du bon… on réveille l’attention d’une opinion…”

Translation: “Quarrels are not without their merits… they rouse the attention of public opinion…”

The words and phrases ‘quarrel, political issue, controversy, “president’s single-handed choice,” etc.’ all portray the uneasy controversy so prevalent and political at the time. The conflict came from Pei being Chinese-American, and the design’s resemblance to the Egyptian pyramid. However, it is possible to see that the pyramid represents the collection of Egyptian artifacts within the museum, which accounts for a large part of the museum’s collection. It is also important to note that the layout of the pyramids and fountains resemble traditional French gardens. A picture of the garden at château de Villandry shows how right isosceles triangles were arranged in a manner to form a bigger square.

Pei’s use of a simple, geometric, glass structure strikes a contrast between the pyramid and the traditional architecture surrounding it, showing the difference between two architectural methods of an era. Alongside its historical connection to the museum and the city, the Louvre pyramid juxtaposes the two palace buildings in amazing symmetry. The main pyramid is surrounded by three smaller ones, which allow more sunlight into the underground floors. They are all covered in transparent glass, attached to a metal framework consisting of aluminum and steel, weighing over a 100 metric tons, which does not distort the colors when visitors look at the palace buildings through it. In a city mixed with different architecture styles, from Romanesque and Gothic architecture to modern architecture styles, the Louvre museum mirrors this contrast in a smaller replica. 

I. M. Pei was a modernist architect, envisioning his geometric sculptures through a mix of simplicity, symmetry, asymmetry, and contrast. These attributes are well depicted in the BOC Tower and the Louvre Pyramid.