An associate of Pei's said later that he never saw the architect so involved in a project.

Pei's associate Araldo A. Cossutta was the lead architect for the North Building ( 955 L ' Enfant Plaza SW ) and South Building ( 950 L ' Enfant Plaza SW ).

Pei's ancestry traces back to the Ming Dynasty, when his family moved from Anhui province to Suzhou.

Its unusual rock formations, stone bridges, and waterfalls remained etched in Pei's memory for decades.

Soon after the move to Shanghai, Pei's mother developed cancer.

Pei's choice had two roots.

Pei's father urged him to remain in the United States, and he worked for two years at the Boston engineering firm of Stone & Webster.

Pei's background in architecture was seen as a considerable asset ; one member of the committee told him: " If you know how to build you should also know how to destroy.

One of Pei's design projects at the GSD was a plan for an art museum in Shanghai.

Pei's design was based on a circular tower with concentric rings.

Pei's designs echoed the work of Mies van der Rohe in the beginning of his career as also shown in his own weekend-house in Katonah in 1952.

One block away, Pei's team also redesigned Denver's Courthouse Square, which combined office spaces, commercial venues, and hotels.

In 1955 Pei's group took a step toward institutional independence from Webb and Knapp by establishing a new firm called I. M. Pei & Associates.

As with previous projects, abundant green spaces were central to Pei's vision, which also added traditional townhouses to aid the transition from classical to modern design.

The tower's smooth aluminum and glass surface and crisp unadorned geometric form demonstrate Pei's adherence to the mainstream of 20th-century modern design.

" Pei's dissatisfaction reached its peak at a time when financial problems began plaguing Zeckendorf's firm.

The project differed from Pei's earlier urban work ; it would rest in an open area in the foothills of the Rocky Mountains.

The success of NCAR brought renewed attention to Pei's design acumen.

Pei's first proposed design included a large glass pyramid that would fill the interior with sunlight, meant to represent the optimism and hope that Kennedy's administration had symbolized for so many in the US.

Pei's architectural team added more fill to cover the pipe and developed an elaborate ventilation system to conquer the odor.

Kennedy's assassination led indirectly to another commission for Pei's firm.

Pei's approach to the new Dallas City Hall mirrored those of other projects ; he surveyed the surrounding area and worked to make the building fit.

LOF countersued Hancock for defamation, accusing Pei's firm of poor use of their materials ; I. M. Pei & Partners sued LOF in return.

Pei's ancestors ' success meant that the family lived in the upper echelons of society, but Pei said his father was " not cultivated in the ways of the arts ".

Ada Louise Huxtable wrote in The New York Times that Pei's building was " a palatial statement of the creative accommodation of contemporary art and architecture ".

It was also the year in which Pei's firm changed its name to Pei Cobb Freed & Partners, to reflect the increasing stature and prominence of his associates.

One of Pei's associates told him during a party before the opening that the symphony hall was " a very mature building "; he smiled and replied: " Ah, but did I have to wait this long?

One staff member sympathized with Pei's frustrations with the lack of organization at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, admitting that he was " operating in a vacuum ".

Pei's tunnel through a mountain leading to the Miho Museum was partly inspired by a story from fourth-century Chinese poet Tao Yuanming.

It was Mario Pei's 1949 The Story of Language that can be blamed for the false origin.

L ' Enfant Plaza Corp. was a syndicate led by former United States Air Force Lieutenant General Elwood R. Quesada, and included Chase Manhattan Bank president David Rockefeller, D. C. businessman David A. Garrett, investment banker André Meyer, and the real estate investment firm of Gerry Brothers & Co. Quesada said that if the Redevelopment Land Agency approved the sale, his company would begin immediate construction of the promenade, the parking garage beneath it, and the plaza using Pei's 10-year-old plans.

The issue was raised repeatedly, including by chancellors Wei Mo, Pei Xiu, and Cui Shenyou, but he rebuffed all of them, leading to Pei's resignation and Cui's removal.

Emperor Muzong was displeased with Pei's accusations, but as Pei was a prominent statesman, placated Pei by demoting Wei to be the director of the imperial armory and Yuan to be the deputy minister of public works ( 工部侍郎, Gongbu Shilang ), relieving Yuan of his position as imperial scholar.

The imperial scholar Pei Zong ( 裴總 ) believed that that was inappropriate, pointing out that Du came out of the period of mourning to take an office and thus, in Pei's opinion, could not be considered sufficiently filially pious.

That year, Emperor Xuanzong offered sacrifices to heaven and earth at Mount Tai, and as he went through the various prefectures, the prefectural prefects were rushing to offer him tributes — but Emperor Xuanzong was impressed by three prefects — Wang Qiu ( 王丘 ), Cui Mian ( 崔沔 ), and Pei, who offered no luxury items — and in Pei's case, what he offered was several hundred suggestions, all of which were aiming toward correcting Emperor Xuanzong's behavior.

Pursuant to Pei's proposal, a shipping station was built at the point where the Yellow River and the Bian River joined, with two large food storages — Heyin Storage ( 河陰倉 ) to the east and Boyai Storage ( 柏崖倉 ) to the west.

The project became a badge of shame for Pei's firm ; he refused to discuss it for many years, and the architects began looking overseas to find commissions.

Time magazine headlined its review of Pei's design for the East Building " Masterpiece on the Mall ".

Pei's design included a large central atrium covered by glass panels not unlike those used for the East Building of the National Gallery.

Younger Chinese were disappointed by Pei's design, hoping that he would bring some of the cubist flavor for which he had become known.

A member of Pei's staff returned for a visit several years later and confirmed that it had become dilapidated, which he and Pei attributed to the country's general unfamiliarity with deluxe buildings.

With an eye toward the Transfer of sovereignty of Hong Kong from the British in 1997, authorities in China sought Pei's aid on a new tower for the local branch of the Bank of China.

Given the elder Pei's history with the bank before the Communist takeover, government officials visited the 89-year-old man in New York to gain approval for his son's involvement.

They later became known for their philanthropy in diverse areas such as modern art and aviation, including several Guggenheim Museums as well as the Guggenheim Aeronautical Laboratory and I. M. Pei's Guggenheim Pavilion at Mount Sinai Medical Center in New York City.

In 733, after the chancellor Pei Guangting died, Emperor Xuanzong asked Pei's fellow chancellor Xiao Song for a recommendation.