Architecture – For I.M. Pei and the Museum of Islamic Art, History Is Still Happening – NYTimes.com
It’s always interesting to me how easily tradition is embraced at the holidays. We “let our guard down” to the 
magic of history as at no other time of the year. And people are catching on to the historic importance of design and architecture.
So–is there a better time of year to consider how we live, and what designs we live in and around? Many think not.
The Source Newport Conference this past October repeatedly aligned the economic necessity of overlapping energy, policy, design, and finance as the keys to successful urban plan in historic cities. Most of the findings apply to any American city.
Interestingly, the comments I continue to receive prove that delegates and speakers found interdependence far easier to achieve than they had previously thought.
“Architects today”, says Mr. Pei
“tend to be more interested in
exposing cultural frictions-Than
in offering visions of harmony.”
Our focus at the Newport conference this year was the overlap of historical preservation/restoration/ rehab with innovative engineering and finance. Of course, I.M Pei has been illustrating this for the last 30 years in his plans, notably at the Louvre and the National Art gallery in Washington
Read Nicolai Ouroussoff’s article on I.M. PEI in the New York Times online:
Architecture – For I.M. Pei and the Museum of Islamic Art, History Is Still Happening – NYTimes.com.
This man’s life provides exciting illustrations of how history can embrace innovation and vice versa. “A lasting architecture has to have roots,” says Mr. Pei.
I live in Newport, Rhode Island. Living in an important American history city that has no plan, or vision of its future, I cannot agree more. Stumbling into the future is not a plan. I expect we need to do less of it here in the United States.
IM Pei has taken the roots of history and woven them into harmonious design. It is our opportunity to move design to its next crucial step–incorporating historically smart urban and architectural design with innovations in resource use.
Before designing the pyramid for the Louvre, Pei asked President Mitterand for three months to study French history in order “to see more than just architecture.” Such patient consideration of the overlaps in a plan are our future made feasible and lasting. And all the while harmonious. How elegant!
RB
