When the Royal Institute of British Architects （RIBA） awarded its Royal Gold Medal to I. M. Pei in 2010， RIBA President Ruth Reed commented， “The Royal Gold Medal has been called， often erroneously，1 a lifetime achievement award. Seldom has it been so true as it is in the case of I. M. Pei. At 92 he is that rarity； an officially retired architect， though there is still work in the pipeline to be delivered， work that will crown the extraordinary achievements of six decades in which he has reinvented the housing，2 gallery， and commercial building types. He is truly an inspiration3 for all architects.”
　　Born in 1917 in Guangzhou， China， I. M. Pei earned a B.A. in architecture from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology（MIT） in 1940 and a Master’s in architecture from the Harvard Graduate School of Design in 1946， where he studied under German architect Walter Gropius， a pioneer of modernist architecture and founder of the Bauhaus school.4
　　Pei received many awards and recognitions throughout his career， including the Pritzker Prize in 1983， with a jury citation stating that he“has given this century some of its most beautiful interior spaces and exterior forms.”5 Pei used his $100，000 prize to establish a scholarship fund for Chinese students to study architecture in the United States， and then return to China to practice their profession.
　　Pei was also elected an Honorary Academician of the Royal Academy of Arts in London in 1993 and received various honorary doctorates，6 including from Harvard University， Columbia University， the Chinese University of Hong Kong， the American University of Paris and the University of Rome， among others.

Modernist Localism7

　　Although a member of the modernist generation， Pei has stood out for rejecting the implications of globalism inherent in the International Style of architecture that emerged in the 1920s and 1930s； a key movement of the formative decades of modernist architecture.8 The most common characteristics of the style， evident also in Pei’s work， are rectilinear forms； light， taut plane surfaces stripped of ornamentation and decoration； open interior spaces； and a visually weightless quality reflected by the cantilever construction.9 The favored materials are glass and steel， with a combination of less visible reinforced concrete. 　　Opened to the public in 2006， the Suzhou Museum20 was seen as a second chance by Pei， who told The New York Times that the Fragrant Hills Hotel was a disappointment， commenting， “I was saved by the trees.” Suzhou has a personal significance for Pei， whose grandfather had a house there that he would visit during the summer， so accepting the Suzhou government project came naturally. The large white stucco museum is situated on hallowed ground adjoining a complex of historical structures and two gardens listed as UNESCO World Heritage Sites.21
　　Pei used grey and white， “Suzhou colors，” combined with a modern structure， commenting， “[In China] architecture and the garden are one. A Western building is a building， and a garden is a garden. They’re related in spirit. But they are one in China.”
　　MUDAM， Luxembourg， opened in 2006， serves as another example of Pei’s adherence to the adaptation of a design to its context.22 With an asymmetrical V shape， a glass topped bell turret and another octagonal wing， the museum rises over the ruins of a fortress.23 The new， formalist structure not only reflects the ancient， but blends with it； its monumental， geometrical volumes becoming an extension of the past.24

A Futuristic25 Vision

　　Pei’s most well-known work worldwide is probably his underground extension to the Louvre26 in Paris， including the crystal pyramid. It is one of many that adopt a “futuristic” vision， brutally27 breaking from tradition. Originally a point of controversy after its completion in 1989， the pyramid has been accepted over the years and is now hailed as one of his most iconic projects.28 Pei said，“Formally， [the pyramid] is the most compatible with the architecture of the Louvre…， it is also one of the most structurally stable of forms， which assures its transparency， as it is constructed of glass and steel， it signifies a break with the architectural traditions of the past. It is a work of our time.”
　　The Bank of China Tower29 in Hong Kong， opened in 1990， was the tallest building in Asia until 1992 and is still one of the tallest in Hong Kong. Inspired by bamboo， a symbol of hope and revitalization30 in China， the trunk of the building emulates the growth patterns of the plant， reducing its mass towards the top. The composite structural system also resists high winds and eliminates the need for many internal vertical supports， a usual requirement in the typhoon-prone location.31
　　The JFK Presidential Library32 （1979） at Columbia Point peninsula in Boston has been said to exemplify an “architectural presence representing both memorial and monument.” With Pei’s play of space and light， and his iconic geometric structures， the library’s understated form comprises a singular and brilliant triangular tower protruding from an expanding base of geometric forms，33 with a cube of glass and steel rising along with the tower.