PEI’S OTHER WORKS
One of his buildings that really captured my attention is the aforementioned Bank of China Tower in Hong Kong. The structural expressionism adopted in the design of this building is supposed to resemble growing bamboo shoots, symbolising livelihood and prosperity. The whole structure is supported by the five steel columns at the corners of the building, with the triangular frameworks transferring the weight of the building onto these five columns. It is covered with glass curtain walls, and it’s unique appearance means that it remains one of Hong Kong’s most distinguishable buildings. However, like the Louvre it has caused quite a large amount of controversy, as it is the only major building in Hong Kong that bypassed the convention of consulting with Feng Shui masters on the design prior to the start on construction.
The building was criticised for its sharp edges and was believed to demonstrate negative symbolism, due to the numerous ‘X’ shapes that were visible in its original design proposals. As a result of the feedback Pei decided to modify some aspects of the design before the construction phase started.
Another one of Pei’s buildings that has quite strong similarities with the Louvre, despite it being a chapel, is the Luce Memorial Chapel. It conforms to Pei’s usual love of geometric and triangular forms, however it has a much more romantic and elegant appearance, owing to the use of bowed sides, rather than Pei’s usual use of sharp angled edges. Pei was careful to tailor his design to the specific environmental context of Taiwan, making use of reinforced concrete walls which help provide earthquake stability, and durability, in the humid and typhoon-prone environment. Construction of the intricate and ...
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...time. Other major buildings that were completed in 1986 that were forward thinking in terms of concept and materiality are the Lloyds Building in London and the Lipstick Building in New York, both of which were seen as modern and forward thinking
Works Cited
[1] Conversations With I. M. Pei: Light Is the Key - Ieoh Ming Pei, Gero Von Boehm Prestel Verlag GmbH + Company, 2000 (p.84)
[2] I.M. Pei: a profile in American architecture - Carter Wiseman H.N. Abrams, 1990 (p.240)
[3] I.M. Pei: a profile in American architecture - Carter Wiseman H.N. Abrams, 1990 (p.249)
[4] Conversations With I. M. Pei: Light Is the Key - Ieoh Ming Pei, Gero Von Boehm Prestel Verlag GmbH + Company, 2000 (p.113)
Wiseman, Carter. I.M. Pei: A Profile in American Architecture. New York: H.N. Abrams, 2001
Von Boehm, Gero. Conversations with I.M. Pei: Light is the Key. Munich: Prestel, 2000.
Marcel Breuer Associates, . The Legacy of Marcel Breuer. 32. Tokyo, Japan: Architecture Publishing Co., 1982. Print.
Gehry draws his inspiration from famous paintings such as the Madonna and Child which he qualifies as a “strategy for architecture” (Friedman M. , 2003, p. 42) and which he used as an inspiration for a project in Mexico . Through his interpretation of the paintings and artwork, Gehry looked for a new kind of architecture. His search for a new type of architecture culminated in 1978 with his own house in Santa Monica. What was once a traditional Californian house would be redesigned to become one of the most important and revolutionary designs of the 20th century, giving Gehry international prestige and fame. Frank Gehry’s “Own House” uses a mixture of corrugated metal, plywood, chain link and asphalt to construct a new envelope for an existing typical Californian house. This house has been inspired by Joseph Cornell, Ed Moses and Bob Rauschenberg. Gehry comments on his house by saying that there was something “magical” (Friedman M. , 2003, p. 54) about it. He admits having “followed the end of his [my] nose” (Friedman M. , 2003, p. 54) when it came to constructing the “new” house, which led Arthur Drexler, former Director...
Dell Upton is a historian and renowned professor of architecture and Urbanism at the University of California. He has published several books on architecture; one of them is “Architecture in the United States”, published in 1998. In this book, Upton analyzes the architecture of the United States in different aspects, such as nature, money and art, thus depicting the great variety in architectural forms, and how throughout the decades, different interests have lead communities to different ways of building, different purposes and materials, thus reflecting their way of thinking and their relationship with the environment. By exploring so many different architectural styles, Upton reveals the great diversity and richness that has always, and continues to characterize American architecture.
Hunt, William Dudley Jr. “Beaux Arts, Ecole Des.” Hunt Encyclopedia of American Architecture, 1980 ed.
3 In the Nature of Materials, 1887-1941: The Buildings of Frank Lloyd Wright (Da Capo Paperback) by Henry Russell Hitchcock Da Capo Press (June 1975)
Smith, C. Ray. Interior Design in 20th-century America: A History. New York: Harper & Row, 1987. Web. 26 Mar. 2014. .
First and foremost are the architectural elements. These encompass the structural components that Chareau uses to emphasize the current site’s condition, the regularity of the grid used, the characteristics of the materials, the spatial alignment of the program, and so forth. The Maison de Verre would not have been designed the same way if it had been erected elsewhere. The same design principles would have been apparent, but there were extenuating circumstances that the client and the architect encountered at the site. The clients, Dr. and Mrs. Dalsace, inherited the building and the surrounding property from her father, and had the sole intention of tearing down the existing building and resurrecting a new, modern structure that would showcase Chareau’s furniture designs. (Vellay 63). The only thing stopping them was an elderly woman who lived on the second floor of the existing building who refused to leave her apartment (Frampto...
middle of paper ... ... Bolton, Arthur T. The architecture of Robert & James Adam. London, Country Life. 1922.
James F. O'Gorman, Dennis E. McGrath. ABC of Architecture. Philadelphia: University of Pennsylvania Press, 1998. Document. October 2013.
Heinz, Thomas A., Frank Lloyd Wright: Architectural Monographs No 18, St. Martin's Press, New York, 1992.
He created a style of architecture to reflect America’s character. The central themes of his style were the landscape, people, and democracy in America. His style was heavily influenced by the midwest, the region where he grew up. His houses aimed to encourage the inhabitants to connect and communicate with one another. The hearth, dining room, and terrace all exemplify this, creating, and open, warm and welcoming space.
When French President Francois Mitterand “personally selected Mr. Pei in 1983 to design the Grand Louvre to give air, space, and light to one of the world’s most congested museums,” (Markham, 1989) there were many critics. The press “lambasted the idea of shattering the harmony of the Louvre’s courtyard with a glass iceberg” (Markham, 1989). But Pei proceeded as planned, taking a major risk in creating a glass pyramid structure at the entrance. He did not focus on what the critics would say about his plans, but hoped that the world would see, upon completion, that his vision of a contemporary, functional entrance would not clash with the Baroque style of the Louvre itself.
Temko, Allan. (1993). No Way to Build a Ballpark: and Other Irreverent Essays on Architecture. San Francisco: Chronicle Books.
Pastier, John. “Frank O. Gehry House, Santa Monica, California; architect & Owner: Frank O. Gehry” AIA Journal, vol.69, no.6 (Mid-May 1980): 169.
The building is 158 meters high and has 23 floors. It also utilizes Mies Rohe’s concept of "less is more" (Zhang, 2014; He, 2010). The structure of the building is simple and symmetry. Although it is a regular hexahedron, it needs actuate calculation (He, 2010). 75% of exterior wall of the building makes by bronze-tinted glass (Abercrombie, 2013). It uses Bronze-tinted color because it is a popular color at 1952. Moreover, normal glass cause environment hot at summer and cold at winter (Masello, 2015). Also, the exterior wall adds bronze window frame. It makes the building better sense of line and extended the form of the regular hexahedron’s building. It has the window frame transmits to people a sense of relative