RGM 2010 - Interview with I.M. Pei

The 2010 Royal Gold Medallist, Chinese American I. M. Pei is 92 and preferred to be interviewed instead of giving the customary lecture. So architect David Adjaye, who nominated him, and the RIBAs Head of Awards, Tony Chapman, a former BBC TV producer, went to New York to make a film with him. This 10 minute film is an edited version of the 35 minute film shown instead of the lecture, and of the 13 minute film shown at the Royal Gold Medal Dinner, when Pei was presented with the Medal. It features an interview and examples of his work over five decades.

[@georgewu5]

I came to New York in 1956 as a waiter. All I was hoping was to be an architect. At that time I only heard of the name I,M,Pei who was born in Canton and came to the U.S.A. in 1936, and won a competition of an airport building. I adored his success so much that I wanted to work for him even a year before graduation, but not until after I proved I could work for Ulrich Franzen a year later. I like his Chinese Swastika,( Everson Museum e.g.)so much that I became obsessed by it. George Wu, AIA 2012

[@georgewu5]

When he went through the John Hankcock crisis and the Louvre museum projects were beyond the average person could endure. Even in an interview with a Jewish woman Barbaralee Diamon-Stein Speivogel who kept on attacking him when he was talking. The way he handled that woman really impressed me. George Wu, ARCHITECT, A.I.A., NCARB 2019-6-14

[@tygerbyrn]

R.I.P. I.M. Pei. Thank you for all your architectural projects.

[@eckosters]

I first saw and visited the East Wing in early 1980. It completely floored me. In the fall of that year I worked at NASA HQ for a week and I spent every lunch break in the East Wing.

[@PhilPlaysBass]

What an affable guy!

[@georgewu5]

I.M.Pei is such an amiable guy. I remembered the day I went to work in his office in 1965, I was late for work. Only he and I rode the same elevator. Right at the begining, with my obvious accent, he said " You came from China." If he happened to be in the restaurant I worked as a waiter a few years ago, he would not even understand my English. It is not meant to be an insult to his talent in architecture.with his personality, he would have been successful in any field ! George Wu, AIA 2012-5-12

[@johnnylee8194]

Typical asian type who will abandon another asian on a dime for monetary reason. Chinese asian guy trying so hard (sad) to be accepted and survive in western society in years past by how he presents himself (Corbusier glasses, way he speaks, wear his clothes etc.). Also regardless of his MIT degree, he has humanities major given all US architecture education virtually require no STEM classes to receive diploma