Internationally renowned architect and MIT alumnus I. M. Pei ’40 offers a uniquely personal behind-the-scenes account of the conceptualization, design and construction of one of his most famous projects, the revitalization of the Louvre Museum in Paris. He illustrates the challenges of navigating public option, political pressures and technical problems, showing us how architecture gets done.

Pei also shares an MIT-related anecdote, as he describes how all the tension elements in his design — the only non-French features of the building project — were made by a small Massachusetts company that constructed the rigging for MIT alum Bill Koch ’62’s winning America’s Cup yacht, America-3.

The conversation with William Mitchell (MIT Professor of Architecture and Media Arts) takes place on June 4th, 1994 as part of MIT’s Technology Day 1994, the signature event at the yearly MIT alumni reunion. This year’s theme was “The Arts at MIT: The Wonder of It All.” They are introduced by the program chair, Ellen Harris (MIT Associate Provost of the Arts).

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