R.I.M. Pei

One of the world's revered architects, I.M. Pei, has died at 102. The glass pyramid at the Louvre was among his many famous designs

 

I.M. dead

 

Still living I.P. Freeley.

 

Did I hear correctly on NPR that the Kennedy Library was what he first became known for? Now knowing his age, that seems late in his career. Good for him.

 

I'm not a huge fan of glass as a building material, which is pretty much all he used in the second half of his career, but Pei made some big work. The Louvre, obviously, but also the Bank of China Tower in Hong Kong, which flouted a lot of convention at the time. So much of what he made was hated when it was made and then people came around to it.

He made some townhouses in Philadelphia in the 1960s that are still beautiful. I'm a historical preservationist at heart, but he essentially remade Society Hill, including the Society Hill Towers. That's something to do with your life.

The Pleasantly Modern Architecture of Philadelphia's Society Hill - CityLab

 

That pyramid really is a blight on the Louvre. Anywhere else it'd be fine, but it's so out of place that is mars the whole landscape.

 

I like it, but I can see why you don't. It's not just what it does for the outside. It connects and adds a ton of light to a bunch of the exhibits.

When you're making additions, you can either try to match (which hardly ever works) or go the opposite route. I don't mind the opposite route. There is a museum in Toronto, the ROM, where a big glass crystal got added to the old stone building:



I like it, but it's very much hated by a lot of people.

Revisiting Canada's Most Hated Building - Azure Magazine

 

Like type, I dig the Louvre pyramid, but understand the counter argument.

And in answer to the other question, Pei was already a little famous before getting the Kennedy Library commission.

In part for these

 

JFC, it looks like the Fortress of Solitude sprouted up through a sidewall. That is aesthetically revolting IMHO.

 

I'm not sure there's anything more subjective than architecture. I like a lot of different styles. Brutalism and that horrible 1980s deconstructionism are about my only gag triggers, so long as something is designed and built with craft and care. But I get how you might see the pyramid and the crystal as jarring. If you hate one, you probably hate the other.

 

As an uncultured goob, I was surprised by the entrance to The Louvre. We're going to see a bunch of old stuff, and the entrance is a modern glass pyramid. I thought it looked cool, but definitely out of place.
Remember the London Olympics where the festive, colorful beach volleyball venue was right in the middle of all those old, stone buildings.

 

Yeah but the Olympics thing is cool bc it’s stark in its contrast but — more importantly — temporary.