On the 26th of last month, the renowned architect Ieoh Ming Pei turned 100. This celebrated international artist has created countless masterpieces, but perhaps the most familiar to Taiwanese are the Louvre Pyramid — located in a courtyard of the Louvre Palace in Paris — and the Luce Memorial Chapel in Taiwan’s Tunghai University.
The 1963 Luce Memorial Chapel, the joint design of Pei and Chen Chi-Kwan, consists of two curved walls converging so as to appear from outside to be a pair of hands joined for prayer. It is a unique design, using progressive architectural techniques, with no internal columns, rafters or walls, exemplifying the Oriental concept of substance born from nothingness, married with concepts of Nature.
The Louvre Palace was originally constructed in 1190, first as a fortified enclosure, later repurposed as a palace. As an art gallery, however, the old building is a little dark and dank inside, and the original entrance is unsuitable for the thousands of people who visit it every day. A major reconstruction project was carried out from 1983 to 1989, with Pei in charge, and involved constructing underground facilities below the Cour Napoleon (Napoleon Courtyard). Pei’s design incorporated a giant glass pyramid rising above the courtyard, serving as an entrance but also allowing sunlight to pour in, lighting the underground area and creating a pleasant interior space. Being completely see-through, the pyramid does not intrude upon the ancient architecture surrounding it.
Photo: Chang Ching-ya, Liberty Times
照片：自由時報記者張菁雅攝
Pei’s design was initially met with considerable opposition from conservative opinion in France, but now the glass pyramid is regarded internationally as a classic example of 20th century architecture. Juxtaposed with the historic buildings of the Louvre Palace — the avant-garde among the traditional — it has become an iconic part of the Parisian landscape.
Pei himself has said that architecture is essentially geometry modeled by light, and believes that people and light are the two essential ingredients of his architecture, and that the interplay between them is what brings his buildings to life.
(Translated by Paul Cooper)
Photo: Wikimedia Commons
照片：維基共享資源
著名建築師貝聿銘上月二十六日度過一百歲生日。這位享譽國際的大師佳作無數，但或許最為國人所熟知的就是法國巴黎羅浮宮的玻璃金字塔，以及台灣東海大學的路思義教堂。
一九六三年落成的路思義教堂是由貝聿銘與陳其寬所共同設計，它由兩道曲面的牆構成，造型外觀有如雙手合十祝禱，其前衛而獨特的建築工法，內部無柱、無樑、無牆，結合東方虛實相生、融入自然的概念，極具特色。
羅浮宮最初建於一一九○年，曾用作軍事城堡、宮殿等，但就作為美術館而言，這古老的建築卻太陰暗潮溼，原來的出入口已無法容納每天上萬的遊客。羅浮宮的改建計畫於一九八三年至一九八九年進行，由貝氏負責，其設計為在羅浮宮中央的拿破崙廣場建設地下化設施，並在廣場地面上建構一巨型玻璃金字塔，以作為入口並引進大量光線，營造明亮舒適的室內空間，其透明性也避免與周遭古老建築造成扞格。
當初此改建計畫受到法國保守意見的大力反對，但如今這座玻璃金字塔已被國際建築界視為二十世紀經典之作，對照著歷史悠久的羅浮宮，一前衛一傳統，已成為法國的經典風景。
貝氏曾說，建築基本上是由光線形塑出來的幾何，並認為人與光為其建築作品中最重要兩種成分，因為此兩者之互動使建築活了起來。
（台北時報林俐凱）
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A: Apart from singer Daniel Kang, more South Korean stars are coming to Taiwan in March. B: Really? Like who? A: Taeyeon of Girls’ Generation will hold a concert at the Taipei Dome on March 16. B: So she’ll set a milestone by becoming the first K-pop artist to stage a show at the venue. A: Singer Lee Mu-jin, boy group NCT 127 and girl group GFRIEND are also visiting Taiwan. I can’t wait. A: 除了姜丹尼爾，3月有不少韓星訪台。 B: 真的嗎？有誰啊？ A: 像是少女時代的太妍，3月16日即將唱進大巨蛋。 B: 成為首位破蛋的韓流歌手，這可真是一項里程碑！ A: 歌手李茂珍、男團NCT 127、女團GFRIEND 3月也要來，真是令人期待。 （By Eddy Chang, Taipei Times／台北時報張迪）
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