I.M. Pei : The Father of Modern Architecture

I.M. Pei was born on April 27th, 1917, in Guangzhou, China. He is now a world-renown architect, known for his unique and spectacular designs. Some of his most famous projects include the Bank of China Tower, The Louvre Pyramid, and the National Center for Atmospheric Research's Mesa Laboratory (NCAR).
The Bank of China Tower is located in Hong Kong, China. It is currently the 17th tallest man-made building in the world. The Tower was constructed between 1985 and 1990 and currently stands at 1,205.4 feet including the masts atop the building. The tower became the first skyscraper outside of the United States to break the 1,000 foot margin. It held the title of the tallest building in Asia between 1989 and 1992. Also, it became the first composite space frame high rise building in the world. This would seem logical though due to Pei's combination of geometric patterns, and simple polygons. Today, it is the 4th tallest structure in Hong Kong, behind the International Commerce Center, the Two International Finance Center, and the Central Plaza. The structural expressionism that was initially approved for the building bears a similarity to growing bamboo shoots. Several critics of the design disliked it's numerous x-shaped figures on the structure. The Bank Of China Tower is located on 1 Garden Road, Hong Kong Island, China. An observation deck is located on the 43th floor for the public.

The Louvre Pyramid is one of the most recognizable structures in the world. It serves as the entrance to the Louvre Museum located in Paris, France. The project was commissioned by Francois Mitterrand, the President of France at the time. It was announced that Pei would be the architect in-charge of the project in 1984, shortly after receiving his Pritzker Prize the year before. Construction of the Louvre Pyramid lasted between 1984 and 1989. The pyramid reaches a maximum height of approximately 70 feet, and has a base of 115 feet. The pyramid also consists of 603 rhombus shaped and 70 triangular glass segments. The pyramid was built along with an underground tunnel due to a series of problems that was caused by the massive flow of people who visit the Louvre daily. There was much controversy over the pyramid because many argued that the pyramid symbolized a futuristic structure that did not correlate to the classical architecture. Others applauded this combination of classical and " Ultra-Modern" architecture. The Louvre Pyramid is actually the largest of the seven pyramids located around the museum. During the design sage of the Louvre project, there was a proposal to add a spire to the top of the pyramid to ease the difficulty of window washing.
The National Center for Atmospheric Research's Mesa Laboratory is located in Boulder, Colorado, which serves as the flagship building of the NCAR. The building was designed by Pei in the 1960's, several years after he established his own architecture firm: I.M. Pei & Associates in 1955. The laboratory sits atop the 600 foot high Walter Orr Roberts mesas, and is against the flatirons formations of the Rocky Mountains Range.
Pei's modern architectural elements that he incorporates into his designs can be controversial and splendid at the same time. We can all agree though that I.M. Pei has rightfully earned the title of the Father of Modern Architecture.