Chicago – At an event on May 17, 2019, the American Institute of Steel Construction remembered legendary architect I.M. Pei, who died on May 16 at the age of 102.
Pei is perhaps best remembered for the steel-and-glass pyramids he designed for Paris’s Louvre Museum 30 years ago. The controversial structures have become enduring symbols of the city’s constant re-invention.
In 2013, AISC honored Pei’s NASCAR Hall of Fame in Charlotte, N.C., with an Innovative Design in Engineering and Architecture with Structural Steel (IDEAS2) award. A sinuous steel ribbon with inset running lights envelops the exterior of the building, evoking the speed, spectacle, and spirit of NASCAR. More details about this building’s remarkable achievements in both architecture and engineering can be found in the May 2013 issue of Modern Steel Construction magazine.
The landmark Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in Cleveland also won AISC awards in 1997 for innovative design and architectural excellence as well as excellence in engineering. The building’s geometric composition mimics the rhythm of the dynamic music it honors. Pei Cobb Freed & Partners was the architect on the project.