PEI Architects
| Company type | Private |
|---|---|
| Industry | Architecture |
| Founded | 1992 |
| Founder | Chien Chung (Didi) Pei, Li Chung (Sandi) Pei |
| Headquarters | New York City , United States |
Area served | North America, Asia, Europe, Africa, Middle East |
Key people | Chien Chung (Didi) Pei, Li Chung (Sandi) Pei |
| Products | Architectural design services for museums, healthcare institutions, commercial properties, high-rise residential developments, urban master plans, waterfront recreational areas |
PEI Architects, previously known as Pei Partnership Architects, is a globally recognized architectural firm based in New York City. Established in 1992 by brothers Chien Chung (Didi) Pei and Li Chung (Sandi) Pei, both sons of the celebrated architect I. M. Pei, the company focuses on designing museums, healthcare institutions, commercial properties, high-rise residential developments, urban master plans, and waterfront recreational areas.
Operating internationally across North America, Asia, Europe, Africa, and the Middle East, PEI Architects has delivered prominent projects such as the Chinese Embassy in Washington, D.C., the Bank of China Headquarters in Beijing, the Suzhou Museum, and the luxury condominium Centurion in New York City.
Background
After gaining professional experience at their father’s firm, I. M. Pei & Partners (which later became Pei Cobb Freed & Partners), Didi and Sandi Pei founded Pei Partnership Architects. Both brothers earned master's degrees from Harvard Graduate School of Design. Their father, I. M. Pei, continued serving as a consultant well into his nineties until his death in 2019.
The firm’s design philosophy prioritizes sensitivity to local environments, demonstrated by their use of indigenous materials such as cantera limestone for the Guanajuato State Library in Mexico. A landmark achievement for PEI Architects was the Bank of China Beijing headquarters, reflecting a deep-rooted connection between the Pei family and the bank that dates back to their grandfather Tsuyee Pei’s role as director and I. M. Pei’s design of the Bank of China Tower in Hong Kong.
By 2010, PEI Architects had secured a strong presence in major Chinese urban centers including Macau, Hong Kong, Shanghai, Shenzhen, and Beijing.
Notable projects
The firm played a key role in designing the new chancery building for the Embassy of the People's Republic of China in Washington, D.C., earning approximately $4 million for managing the design process. Other significant collaborations involving their father include the Bank of China Headquarters in Beijing, the Macau Science Center, and the Suzhou Museum—where Chien Chung and Li Chung Pei were intimately involved in selecting every garden feature. While I. M. Pei was responsible for designing Qatar’s Museum of Islamic Art, Pei Partnership Architects partnered with Qatar Museums Authority on developing the adjacent 70-acre Museum of Islamic Art Park.
Didi Pei has led several projects for Pei Partnership Architects such as the Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center, undertaken jointly with Perkins+Will, and was appointed by former Virginia governor Douglas Wilder to design the United States National Slavery Museum located in Fredericksburg, Virginia. As of December 2022, this museum project remains unrealized. Sandi Pei directed projects including the headquarters for the Industrial and Commercial Bank of China in Beijing and The Centurion—marking the firm's inaugural ground-up construction in New York City.
PEI Architects has been responsible for extensive urban development initiatives across countries including the United States, Mexico, China, Indonesia, and Singapore. In 2009, they received the AIA/ALA Library Building Award for their design of the Guanajuato State Library in Léon, Mexico—the first cultural facility within their larger Centro Cultural Guanajuato master plan.
Among their environmentally focused projects is the Beijing Xingdebao BMW 5S dealership which incorporates sustainable features such as gardens equipped with wind turbines, solar panels, and geothermal systems to achieve a 30% reduction in energy consumption.
Commercial Developments
- Alturki Business Park located in Dhahran, Saudi Arabia
- Amgen Corporate Headquarters, Thousand Oaks, California
- Bank of China Main Office in Beijing
- Bank of China Heritage Building situated in Hong Kong
- Beijing Xingdebao BMW 5S Dealership
- Chateau Lynch-Bages Winery, Pauillac, Bordeaux, France
- Faria Lima B32, São Paulo, Brazil
- Industrial and Commercial Bank of China Headquarters in Beijing
- Q1 Fortune Tower, Qingdao, China
- Shanghai Commercial Bank Headquarters based in Hong Kong
- Zhengzhou Commodity Exchange, China
Cultural Projects
- Balai Khazanah Islam Sultan Haji Hassanal Bolkiah (BKISHHB) Museum in Brunei
- China Institute on Manhattan’s Upper East Side, New York
- Dongfang City Coast Zone Urban Design International Competition, Hainan, China
- Guanajuato State Library located in León, Mexico
- Jianfu Palace Garden in Beijing, China
- Macau Dancing Water Theater at City of Dreams, Macau
- Macau Science Center situated in Macau
- Museum of Islamic Art Park in Doha, Qatar
- Nanhai Cultural Center International Design Competition held in Guangzhou and Foshan City, China
- Six Dynasties Museum in Nanjing, China
- Suzhou Museum located in Suzhou, China
- U.S. National Slavery Museum planned for Fredericksburg, Virginia (unbuilt)
Healthcare Facilities
- Martha Stewart Center for Living at Mount Sinai, New York City
- Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center in Los Angeles, California
Residential Projects
- The Centurion residential tower in New York City
- West Village Townhouse located in New York City
Government Buildings
- Embassy of the People’s Republic of China in Washington, D.C.