【贝建中】四十五年建筑师生涯

“It might seem natural that as the son of a famous architect I would naturally choose that as my lifetime vocation. However, this was definitely not the case. In fact, when I was in college at Harvard I majored in Science. I had a teacher in high school that really excited me about Science, so when I had to select my area of study I chose Physics and Mathematics.”

“Even before graduation from Architecture School I started work at my father’s office, working on some of his most well-recognized projects. I started as a junior architect on the National Gallery of Art in Washington, D. C. This landmark building in our nation’s capital was for several decades voted as the favorite building by America’s architects. When Deng Xiaoping came to Washington in 1979 he was of course taken to visit. So were other important heads of state and important foreign visitors. François Mitterand visited before he became President of France.”

“In 1978 my father was asked to design a hotel in China. Even though my Chinese was very poor, I became part of the original team to visit China and help with the site selection. This project, Fragrant Hill Hotel, was the first project built in China by a western architect. Of course later on there were others on the team who spoke perfect Chinese. All the Chinese architects wanted to meet with us, and we met often to listen to their thoughts. My father wanted this project to demonstrate to Chinese architects that it was possible to design a modern building that was also Chinese in spirit. We also invited Chinese architects to come to New York for extended periods to see how we worked. Communications between New York and Beijing were difficult. No internet. Not even fax! We communicated only by telex! Wherever I was, we would work all day and then I would operate the telex to send questions from Beijing or directions from New York which would be received by the morning in the other city.”

"In 1981 my father was secretly called to Paris to study the problems of the world’s most famous museum, the Louvre. François Mitterand had just been elected President, and the transformation of the Louvre was going to be one of his major priorities, the first among first of his “Grand Projets”. Every recent President of France had left behind a personal trace in France’s capital – Georges Pompidou’s Pompidou Centre, and Valerie Giscard d’Estaing’s Musée d’Orsay, for example. As I am fluent in French (my Chinese is only 50% at best) I was part of the original team that started this secret project. Books have been written about the political intrigue that surrounded this controversial project. "

“In 1992 I was still busy directing the completion of work in Paris. I was also very active in discussions about the transition of the firm after my father announced his ’retirement‘ in 1990. But the world had entered a deep recession, and new architectural work was hard to find. For the first time I did not have a new project to occupy me. I realized that if I was assigned to a new project I would not be able to leave for at least 4 to 5 years.

I had married my French wife in 1989 the day after the inauguration of the Pyramide. I already had one child and twins were on the way. I told my father I wanted to leave and start my own firm. To my relief he said if that was my choice, he would help. I had worked very hard over the past 20 years, and had accumulated almost 9 months of vacation, so I knew I had that much time to make things work. My brother joined me, but worked only part time because he still had projects to complete. ”

"As we were increasing our staff for the Indonesian project, my father was asked by the Bank of China to design their new headquarters building in Beijing. My father said no; he was retired. But the Bank insisted and, having done their research, offered to engage Pei Partnership if my father would give his advice. His father – my grandfather – had been one of the founders of the Bank in 1912. My father had designed the famous Hong Kong branch bank, the tallest building in Asia at the time. Now a third generation of the family would work for the Bank. The Bank of China was completed and formed the basis of lasting friendships in China with other architects, contractors, and opened doors to meet future clients. "

“At the same time we were asked by a former client of my father to help design a new replacement hospital at UCLA in Los Angeles which was ultimately named the Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center in honor of the former US President. We did all the preliminary medical planning and designed the exterior facades and all the public spaces. Once again, a specialized hospital architecture firm did the detailed medical planning. The 100,000 square meter hospital offers an efficient, warm and welcoming environment for patients, visitors and staff, which is conveyed in every aspect of the design, from the thoughtful application of building materials and the clear disposition of parts, to the meticulous detailing of public spaces and the widespread integration of natural light, landscaping and outdoor views.”

UCLA罗纳德•里根医疗中心（洛杉矶）

Ronald Regan UCLA Medical Center

Los Angeles

“The design of the museum takes its cues from the rich vocabulary of Suzhou’s traditional architecture, with its whitewashed plaster walls, dark grey clay tile roofs and intricate garden architecture. However these basic elements have been reinterpreted and synthesized into a new language and order, one that is contemporary and forward looking and hopefully one that is a possible direction for the future of Chinese modern architecture.”

苏州博物馆（苏州）

Suzhou Museum

Suzhou

“Based on the functional requirements and characteristics of the site, the new Chancery Building is composed of three distinct elements:  the West Office Wing for Chancery offices, the East Office Wing for visitors, and the Entrance Pavilion in between. As for the Bank of China and ICBC, PPA did all of the interior design except for the Chancery offices.

This is the first Chinese Embassy building specially commissioned by the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs to be designed by the world-renowned architects. The building was entirely built by Chinese construction workers who arrived specially for this project. An inauguration ceremony for the new Chancery Building was held on July 29, 2008.”

中华人民共和国驻美大使馆（华盛顿）

Embassy of the People's Republic of China in the U.S.A. Chancery Building

Washington D.C.

“The ICBC Headquarters, for China’s largest and most prestigious bank, occupies a key site in the new financial district of Beijing on West Chang’an Street within close proximity to Tiananmen Square and the entrance to the Forbidden City.

Although the exterior treatment resembles that of the first phase building, the interior planning is completely different. In addition to greatly expanded office facilities, the principal programmatic requirements include a full floor double-height state-of-the-art trading hall with meetings rooms and lounge areas, a ground floor double-height reception hall, executive banking facilities with integrated communications and multimedia conferencing systems. Generous light wells bring daylight throughout the interior spaces all the way to the entrance lobbies.”

中国工商银行总部大楼（北京）

Industrial and Commercial Bank of China Headquarters

Beijing

“Architecture cannot be created without consideration of the context. But by context I mean more that urban context. There is also the economic context, the political context, the environmental context, and so on. Of course design guidelines for height, coverage, and built area must be followed. If the project is located in an urban area the surrounding buildings should have an impact on the new project.”

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