World Renowned Architect Didi Pei: From USA to Kurdistan

Duhok, Kurdistan Region of Iraq – October 2, 2018 – Through the personal invitation of American University of Kurdistan President John Menzies, prominent American architect Chien Chung “Didi” Pei, son of the world-famous architect I.M. Pei, visited AUK in Duhok city on the 1st of October.

A delegation of the President Menzies, Provost Nazar Numan and Prof. Marga Jann, accompanied by students of AUK’s Architecture Department, received Mr. Pei as he toured the area and met with local officials.

After meeting with Governor Farhad Atrushi and the Director General of Health in Duhok, Dr. Nizar Issmet, Didi Pei arrived to the American University of Kurdistan where me met with students from the Architecture and Interior Design departments for question-and-answer session.

“This is why I love AUK! It gives us the opportunity to meet with these world-renowned figures and learn from their experience,” said Omar Isaa, a senior student in interior design department.

Didi Pei spoke of his remarkable experience in the architectural field, having designed award-winning buildings around the world. “Architecture,” he said, “is about problem solving. You must understand the client’s problem completely before suggesting solutions.”

At a special reception in the rotunda of the Mustafa Barzani Building at AUK, over 100 guests, including many Duhok city architects and engineers, met Mr. Pei and saw examples of his many works on large screen televisions.

In introducing Mr. Pei to the guests, President Menzies said, “We are fortunate to have on of the greatest architects in the world visit our campus to explore ways we might cooperate in the future. Didi has been my friend for many years and I have visited several of the buildings he designed, including the hospital of the Ronald Reagan Medical Center at the University of California in Los Angeles, widely considered to be a masterpiece of design.”

Didi Pei expressed his gratitude to the audience stating, ‘’this is my first time to be here in Kurdistan, but hopefully it won’t be the last.’’

A slideshow of Didi Pei’s works were previewed throughout the reception. “Around 20 years ago, I saw I.M. Pei’s Louvre Pyramid design on one of the newspapers in Mosul, I was still a student, it fascinated me that I’ve snipped it out of the newspaper and kept it with me until this day,” said Dr. Kadhim Khalil, one of the guests from the Architecture department of the University of Duhok, pointing to Pei’s Louvre Pyramid slide “This is why it’s my absolute pleasure to meet with Didi Pei at AUK.” He added.

The American University of Kurdistan’s College of Engineering aims to become the best engineering school in the area, serving society by educating world-class engineers for careers both in Kurdistan and globally.