Cover Spiral staircase in the Everson Museum of Art, designed by IM Pei (Photo: Getty Images)
Spiral staircase in the Everson Museum of Art, designed by IM Pei (Photo: Getty Images)
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You might be familiar with IM Pei’s iconic buildings such as the Louvre pyramid in Paris or the BOC tower in Hong Kong, but here are three underrated gems by the architect that we spotlight to celebrate his retrospective at M+
Sharp angles, smooth edges and reflective surfaces—these form the essence of IM Pei’s design aesthetics, making his buildings instantly recognisable. Think the Louvre pyramid in Paris, the Bank of China building right here in Hong Kong and many more such staggering structures around the world.
Now, the Chinese American architect’s epic legacy is being celebrated in the form of the exhibition IM Pei: Life Is Architecture at M+. Co-curated by Shirley Surya and Aric Chen, the show is the first large-scale retrospective dedicated to the late architect.
To honour IM Pei’s legacy, we highlight three lesser-known buildings designed by him.
Also read: Top creative leaders in the design industry come together in Hong Kong for Knowledge of Design Week
Fragrant Hill Hotel, Beijing, 1982
Fragrant Hill Hotel’s model by IM Pei and Partners (1979–1982) (Photo: M+, Hong Kong, photographed with permission © Pei Cobb Freed & Partners)
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Serving as a kind of homecoming for the Guangzhou-born Pei, the Fragrant Hill Hotel was the architect’s first full-fledged project in China, and an example of how he merges modernism with tradition. Neither traditional nor modern, the hotel, located amid natural settings, was inspired by classical Chinese gardens. Unlike the “IM Pei signature”—sharp edges and shimmering tall structures—it is a low-rise structure outfitted with white walls and grey tiles, with guest room wings embedded across the greenery in no apparent order, much like the maze-like nature of Chinese gardens. The ideas Pei began exploring in Fragrant Hill are reflected in his later projects such as the Suzhou Museum (2006).
It was a project that merged art, architecture and design with Pei enlisting his friend and renowned artist Zao Wou-ki to create large-scale ink paintings to be showcased in the building, and the architect himself designed the hotel’s lamps, an edition of which is on view at the M+ exhibition.
Everson Museum of Art in Syracuse, New York, 1968
Above On view at M+, Helmut Jacoby’s (of IM Pei & Partners) illustrative rendering of the Everson Museum of Art ca.1961 (Photo: M+, Hong Kong, photographed with permission © Pei Cobb Freed & Partners)
On view at M+, Helmut Jacoby’s (of IM Pei & Partners) illustrative rendering of the Everson Museum of Art ca.1961 (Photo: M+, Hong Kong, photographed with permission © Pei Cobb Freed & Partners)
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Pei’s Everson Museum of Art in Syracuse, New York, is as much of a sculpture as it is a building. This was intentionally done by the architect, who had expressed that he wanted it to be more than “simply a monumental container for art”, but a work of art in itself—as mentioned on the museum’s website.
The design consists of what appears to be four volumetric blocks, allowing visitors to consider both space and structure from multiple perspectives, as every glimpse shines a light on a new aspect, view or feature, similar to how one would approach a sculpture. Through this design, Pei broke the conventional notions of what museums were supposed to look like.
Inside, the museum boasts more than 10,000 works of art including American paintings, sculptures, drawings, videos, graphics and a large collection of ceramics.
OCBC Centre Singapore, 1976
Above View of Oversea-Chinese Banking Corporation Centre in Singapore’s financial district ca.1976 (Photo: © BEP Akitek)
View of Oversea-Chinese Banking Corporation Centre in Singapore’s financial district ca.1976 (Photo: © BEP Akitek)
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Oversea-Chinese Banking Corporation (OCBC) Centre was the first building Pei designed in Singapore. The construction finished in 1976, and at the time, the 52-storey structure was the second tallest building in Asia, and Singapore’s most expensive urban renewal project, costing around SG$100 million. The brutalist structure which appears segmented into three parts boasts an intentionally imposing façade—fitting for a high-rise which was one of the first such buildings constructed in a newly independent Singapore.
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