My Building and IM Pei

— 11 Jun 2019 08:59:00 by Stephan Silver

Originally from Montreal, Quebec in Canada, I was amazed  by the simplicity and strong geometric form of the landmark tower that marks the centre of the city, Place Ville- Marie. Designed by architects Ieoh Ming (IM) Pei and his partner Henry Cobb in collaboration with local architect Ray Affleck of Arcop Associates. Construction started in1958 and the main tower was completed in 1962. This building struck a chord in me and I always looked up to it in admiration of it's clean lines and boldness being a symbol of my city and therefore myself. I thus branded it "My Building" in my teenage years before starting architecture school. Every time I have a glimpse of this building, my eyes sparkle open and wide.

This brings me to the sad news to hear about the recent passing of the Architect IM Pei on.16 May 2019 at the age of 102. Not only was he the architect of this building but so many other international famous landmarks. These included Le Louvre central glass pyramid in Paris, France and the Museum of Islamic Art in Doha, Qatar.

We sadly day goodbye to the creator that was IM Pei and our grateful for the works of sculpture and beauty that he left behind in the legacy of his buildings.