I want to bring out the best in a community and contribute something of permanent value.
I. M. PeiRead
Contemporary architects tend to impose modernity on something. There is a certain concern for history but it’s not very deep. I understand that time has changed, we have evolved. But I don’t want to forget the beginning. A lasting architecture has to have roots.
Interpretation
This quote emphasizes the importance of historical context in modern architecture.
I. M. Pei suggests that while contemporary architects often prioritize modern design, they should not overlook the significance of history and the roots of architectural evolution. He argues that lasting architecture must connect to its historical origins to maintain depth and meaning.
In practice
In a speech about urban development, one could use this quote to advocate for the integration of historical elements in new buildings.
I want to bring out the best in a community and contribute something of permanent value.
There is a danger when every building has to look spectacular; to look like it is changing the world. I don't care how a building looks if it means something, not to architects, but to the people who use it.
The physician can bury his mistakes, but the architect can only advise his client to plant vines - so they should go as far as possible from home to build their first buildings.
I'm a bad customer for my own buildings! If I'm choosing an apartment, I choose one about five or six stories high so that I can see the people, the trees, and the world on the street. Beyond that, I lose contact with the ground!
We used to build temples, and museums are about as close as secular society dares to go in facing up to the idea that a good building can change your life (and a bad one ruin it).
My passion and great enjoyment for architecture, and the reason the older I get the more I enjoy it, is because I believe we - architects - can effect the quality of life of the people.
People can inhabit anything. And they can be miserable in anything and ecstatic in anything. More and more I think that architecture has nothing to do with it. Of course, that's both liberating and alarming.
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