Timeless Architectural Piece

In the discipline of architecture, perhaps the best measure of greatness is not whether a project makes a statement today but if it remains relevant in the future. This methodology has long guided the American Institute of Architects (AIA) as it selects winners for its prestigious 25-Year Award, a distinction given annually to a building that “has stood the test of time for 25 to 35 years” and “continues to set standards of excellence for its architectural design and significance.”

This year’s recipient should take no one by surprise: It was announced late last week that the honor would go to Pritzker Prize winner I.M. Pei’s now iconic pyramidal addition to the Musée du Louvre in Paris. However lauded the structure may be today, it’s worth noting that Pei’s Le Grand Louvre–Phase 1, completed in 1989 wasn’t always so beloved. The 71-foot-high pyramid was, in the words of the AIA, a “modernist affront” when its design was announced in the early 1980s. Time, however, seems to have warmed even this most ardent critic, which now places Pei’s work among France’s most important 20th-century architecture, naming it a pivotal moment in understanding how to enrich historic architecture with modern spirit.

Perhaps former Louvre director Henri Loyette said it best: “When you ask the visitors, ‘Why are you coming to the Louvre?’ they give three answers. For the Mona Lisa, for theVenus de Milo, and for the pyramid.”

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