Wikipedia

PEI Architects

Not to be confused with Pei Cobb Freed & Partners.

PEI Architects, formerly Pei Partnership Architects, is an international architecture firm based in New York City. Co-founded by the sons of I. M. Pei, Chien Chung (Didi) Pei and Li Chung (Sandi) Pei, in 1992, PEI Architects has specialized in high-profile projects including museums, healthcare facilities, commercial buildings, and high-rise residential towers, as well as urban masterplans and waterfront parks,[1][2] in North America, Asia, Europe, Africa, and the Middle East.[1] Major projects have included the Chinese Embassy in Washington, D.C.,[3] the Bank of China Head Office in Beijing,[4] the Suzhou Museum, the Centurion luxury condominium in New York City,[5] and many others.

PEI Architects LLP
Company typeLimited liability partnership
IndustryArchitecture
Founded1992
Headquarters257 Park Ave South,
New York City, U.S.
Area served
International
Key people
Li Chung Pei, Chien Chung Pei
ServicesArchitecture
Interior Design
Sustainable Design
Urban Design & Planning
OwnerChien Chung Pei
Li Chung Pei
Number of employees
30 persons
Websitepei-architects.com

Background

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Didi and Sandi Pei founded Pei Partnership Architects (PPA) in 1992, after working for their father's firm.[6][a] Both brothers earned master's degrees in architecture from the Harvard University Graduate School of Design, and gained experience in large-scale building design projects at I. M. Pei & Partners,[2] which became Pei Cobb Freed & Partners after their father retired in 1990.[6] I. M. Pei worked as a consultant for his sons' business into his nineties, before his death in 2019 at age 102.[7][8][b]

In 2010, World Policy Journal stated that "Didi and his brother are placing their stamp on many of China's greatest cities – from Macau and Hong Kong to Shanghai, Shenzhen and Beijing."[10] According to I. M. Pei, Pei Partnership Architects "came of age" with the Bank of China (BOC) Beijing headquarters project.[11] The PPA's Bank of China Head Office project was the most recent milestone in the Pei family's long association with the BOC, starting with grandfather Tsuyee Pei, who served as a director of the bank, and I. M. Pei, who designed the Bank of China Tower in Hong Kong.[11]

The firm's philosophy is to understand the local context for each project, which has led to design choices such as using white cantera, a local limestone, for the exterior of the Guanajuato State Library in León, Mexico.[12]

Notable projects

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Bank of China head office building, Beijing

The two brothers collaborated on designing the new chancery building for the Embassy of the People's Republic of China in Washington, D.C.[2] According to C. C. Pei, the firm received about $4 million for its work in overseeing the design of the Chinese Embassy.[3] Other major collaborative projects, also involving their father, included the design of the Bank of China Head Office building in Beijing; the Macau Science Center; and the Suzhou Museum.[2][3] In designing the Suzhou Museum, both Chien Chung and Li Chung Pei were closely involved with their father in selecting every rock and tree used in the gardens.[13] While I. M. Pei designed the Museum of Islamic Art in Doha, Qatar,[8] Pei Partnership Architects worked with Qatar Museums Authority (QMA) landscape architects on the adjacent 70-acre (28 ha) Museum of Islamic Art Park.[14][15]

Projects led by Didi Pei for Pei Partnership Architects have included the Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center, which was done in collaboration with Perkins+Will.[2] He also led the design of the United States National Slavery Museum in Fredericksburg, Virginia,[2] after the firm was appointed by the former governor of Virginia, Douglas Wilder;[16] as of December 2022 the museum remains unbuilt.[17] Since founding PPA, Sandi Pei led projects including the Industrial and Commercial Bank of China headquarters in Beijing, and The Centurion,[2] the firm's first ground-up building in New York City.[5]

PEI Architects has also undertaken large-scale urban development projects in the U.S., Mexico, China, Indonesia, and Singapore.[2][18] In 2009, Pei Partnership Architects received the AIA/ALA Library Building Award for its design of the Guanajuato State Library in Léon, Mexico, the first of several new cultural buildings that were part of the Centro Cultural Guanajuato masterplan prepared by the firm.[19][12]

Unique eco-conscious projects undertaken by Pei Partnership Architects have included the Beijing Xingdebao BMW 5S dealership, designed to consume 30 percent less energy than other buildings of its size, using gardens with wind turbines, solar and photovoltaic panels, and geothermal energy systems.[20]

List of selected projects

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Museum of Islamic Art Park along the Doha Bay
 
Wigberto Jiménez Moreno State Central Library, León, Guanajuato

Commercial

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Suzhou Museum garden view from interior

Cultural

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  • Balai Pameran Islam Sultan Haji Hassanal Bolkiah (BPIS) Museum, Brunei[33]
  • China Institute, Upper East Side, Manhattan, New York[34]
  • Dongfang City Coast Zone Urban Design International Competition, Hainan, China[35]
 
Inside the 2,000-seat Macau Dancing Water Theater

Health care

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  • Martha Stewart Center for Living at Mount Sinai, New York, New York[41]
  • Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center, Los Angeles, California[42]

Residential

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  • The Centurion, New York City[43][44]
  • West Village Townhouse, New York City[23]

Governmental

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  • Embassy of People's Republic of China in Washington, D.C.[2]

Notes

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  1. ^ As of November 2022, the PEI Architects website gives its founding year as 1990, but all secondary sources to date have given the year as 1992.
  2. ^ As of 1993, I. M. Pei was spending three days a week at the offices of Pei Partnership Architects, and the other two days "holding court" at Pei Cobb Freed & Partners, according to The Washington Post.[9]

References

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  1. ^ a b "About Us". PEI Architects. Retrieved November 9, 2022.
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k Adams, Jennifer; Reis, Michael (April 2008). "Architects Roundtable – Pei Partnership Architects". Stone World. pp. 226–252. Retrieved November 8, 2022 – via EBSCOHost.
  3. ^ a b c Lee, Suevon (May 28, 2008). "China's new embassy in U.S. reflects growing clout". The New York Times. Retrieved November 8, 2022.
  4. ^ a b Strong, Janet Adams (March 2002). "A cultural landmark carved in stone: I.M. Pei collaborated with his two sons in designing Pei Partnership Architects' new Head Office of the Bank of China in Beijing, which is a monumental display of Italian Roman classic travertine". Stone World. Vol. 19, no. 3. pp. 44–60. Retrieved November 8, 2022 – via EBSCOHost.
  5. ^ a b Marino, Vivian (January 1, 2013). "The 30 Minute Interview: Li Chung Pei". The New York Times. Retrieved November 8, 2022.
  6. ^ a b Dunlap, David W. (November 21, 1999). "The Delicate Matter Of Passing the Torch". The New York Times. Retrieved November 11, 2022.
  7. ^ Puente, Maria; Spillane, Matt (May 20, 2019). "I. M. Pei, who produced 'timeless' works, dies". The Journal News. White Plains, New York. p. 2A. Retrieved November 8, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
  8. ^ a b Goldberger, Paul (May 16, 2019). "I.M. Pei, Master Architect Whose Buildings Dazzled the World, Dies at 102". The New York Times. Retrieved November 8, 2022.
  9. ^ Hales, Linda (October 5, 2003). "Architect at the Apex; I.M. Pei's Pyramids and Sharp Angles Have Taken Him in One Direction: To the Top". The Washington Post. ProQuest 409536420 – via ProQuest.
  10. ^ Bradley, Ryan (Winter 2010–2011). "The Architect and the City". World Policy Journal. 27 (4): 33–40. JSTOR 40963770.
  11. ^ a b Mosher, Diana (May 2002). "Mainland Dynasty: a new Beijing headquarters is the latest in a series of collaborations between Bank of China and the Pei Family". Contract. Retrieved November 9, 2022 – via Gale OneFile.
  12. ^ a b Adams, Jennifer (June 2009). "New library marries tradition and modernism". Stone World. pp. 54–61. Retrieved November 8, 2022 – via EBSCOHost.
  13. ^ a b Ivy, Robert (May 2007). "I.M. Pei returns to his family's hometown in China and designs the Suzhou Museum for a sensitive, historic site". Architectural Record. Vol. 195, no. 5. Retrieved November 10, 2022 – via EBSCOHost.
  14. ^ a b Olayiwola, Noimot (January 7, 2012). "Museum park makes families' day". Gulf Times. Retrieved November 8, 2022 – via Gale OneFile.
  15. ^ "Museum of Islamic Art Park". PEI Architects. Retrieved November 8, 2022.
  16. ^ a b Bernstein, Fred A. (June 24, 2004). "For African-Americans, a Chance to Draft History". The New York Times. Retrieved November 11, 2022.
  17. ^ Svrluga, Susan (March 22, 2014). "As Richmond mulls a slavery heritage site, supporter of stalled museum speaks up: Former governor has pushed project for decades, but his participation in Virginia capital's vision is uncertain". The Washington Post. ProQuest 1509257371. Retrieved November 11, 2022 – via ProQuest.
  18. ^ a b "Global thinking". Contract. Vol. 45, no. 8. August 2003. Retrieved November 8, 2022 – via EBSCOHost.
  19. ^ a b "AIA/ALA Library Awards". ArchitectureWeek. April 8, 2009. Retrieved November 8, 2022.
  20. ^ a b "Design Wire". Interior Design. Vol. 83, no. 10. October 2012. pp. 43–52. Retrieved November 8, 2022 – via EBSCOHost.
  21. ^ "Emirates Steel Building Project of the Year". MEED: Middle East Economic Digest. March 30, 2012. Retrieved November 10, 2022 – via EBSCOHost.
  22. ^ "Alturki Business Park". PEI Architects. Retrieved November 10, 2022.
  23. ^ a b c d Jodidio, Philip (2002). Architecture Now! (in English, German, and French). Vol. 2. Köln: Taschen. pp. 416–419. ISBN 9783822815946.
  24. ^ "Amgen Headquarters". PEI Architects. Retrieved November 10, 2022.
  25. ^ Yiu, Enoch (February 21, 2017). "The architect family behind Hong Kong's Bank of China Tower". South China Morning Post. Retrieved November 10, 2022.
  26. ^ "Bank of China Heritage Building". PEI Architects. Retrieved November 10, 2022.
  27. ^ "Chateau Lynch Bages Winery". Architecture Masterprize. Retrieved November 10, 2022.
  28. ^ Maldacena, Carmen (May 1, 2022). "Riding Fast". Elevator World. Retrieved November 10, 2022.
  29. ^ "Faria Lima B32". PEI Architects. Retrieved November 10, 2022.
  30. ^ Wilcox, Kevin (November 2013). "October 1: Qingdao's Eccentric Fortune Tower Tops Out". Civil Engineering. p. 9. Retrieved November 10, 2022 – via EBSCOHost.
  31. ^ "ZHENGZHOU COMMODITY EXCHANGE BUILDING — China". HS + A. Retrieved November 10, 2022.
  32. ^ "Zhengzhou Commodity Exchange". PEI Architects. Retrieved November 10, 2022.
  33. ^ "BECK successfully delivers new Islamic heritage centre in Brunei". Museum + Heritage Advisor. September 20, 2018. Retrieved November 11, 2022.
  34. ^ Pogrebin, Robin (July 9, 2015). "China Institute Moving to Larger Home in Lower Manhattan". The New York Times. Retrieved November 11, 2022.
  35. ^ Zhang, Wenjun (May 20, 2022). "东方：圆百姓宜居梦 创滨海城市带典范 [Dongfang: Fulfilling people's liveable dreams and creating a model for coastal cities]". Hainan Daily (in Simplified Chinese). Retrieved November 11, 2022 – via China Economic Net.
  36. ^ "Historical Record – Jianfu Palace Garden". Architectural Record China. Archived from the original on February 24, 2008. Retrieved July 22, 2016.
  37. ^ Ma, Maggie (September 2010). "Macau's One-of-a-Kind Entertainment Complex". Institutional Investor. Vol. 44, no. 7. Retrieved November 11, 2022.
  38. ^ "Macau Science Center". PEI Architects. Retrieved November 11, 2022.
  39. ^ "Nanhai Cultural Center – International Design Competition". PEI Architects. Retrieved November 11, 2022.
  40. ^ Ng, Kenny K.K. (2020). "The Museum as Expression of Local Identity and Place: The Case of Nanjing". In Ludwig, C.; Wang, Y.; Walton, L. (eds.). The Heritage Turn in China: The Reinvention, Dissemination and Consumption of Heritage. Amsterdam University Press. pp. 191–212. ISBN 9789462985667.
  41. ^ Hrehocik, Maureen (December 1, 2008). "Healthy aging in the center of NYC; Martha Stewart-funded center blends architectural simplicity with integrated care". Long-Term Living. Retrieved November 8, 2022 – via The Free Library.
  42. ^ "Ronald Reagan - University of California Los Angeles Medical Center : UCLA". Archived from the original on February 24, 2010. Retrieved June 28, 2013.
  43. ^ Barrionuevo, Alexei (April 19, 2012). "My, How You've Grown!". The New York Times. Retrieved November 11, 2022.
  44. ^ "The Centurion". New York Residents. Retrieved July 22, 2016.
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