I. M. Pei is a Chinese-American architect born on April 26, 1917, in Guangzhou, China. He grew up in Hong Kong and Shanghai and the elements of architecture within the cities he grew up in had a profound impact on his later works. He attended several schools, beginning at the University of Pennsylvania and later transferred to MIT to complete his Bachelor’s Degree. He went on to get a Master’s in Architecture at Harvard. He was unable to return to China as a result of WWII and began working on several projects in the US after joining the firm of Webb & Knapp post-graduation, and later went on to form his own firm, I.M. Pei & Associates (later Pei Cobb Freed & Partners). He is known for an embellished form of the “International” Style and was particularly noted for the bold use of shapes and contrasting materials within his designs. Among his most notable works are the Louvre Pyramid in Paris and the Bank of China Tower in Hong Kong.