Born April 26, 1917, Chinese-American architect I.M. Pei was raised in Shanghai, and later studied at MIT and Harvard. Known for his modernist style, built on a foundation of traditional architectural principles, Pei’s progressive designs often incorporated simple geometric patterns—circles, squares, and triangles.
From 1958 to 1963, Pei helped to develop a key downtown block of Montreal, including one of his most renowned projects, the Royal Bank Plaza (Place Ville Marie) which, according to the Canadian Encyclopedia, helped to “set new standards for architecture in Canada in the 1960s.” Pei’s work was celebrated around the world, and he won numerous distinguished awards. He died in 2019 at the age of 102.
Among his many iconic structures, those shown below include:
• The Grand Louvre & The Louvre Pyramid
• The John F. Kennedy Library
• Bank of China Tower in Hong Kong
• Royal Bank Plaza (Place Ville Marie)
