World-renowned architect Ieoh Ming Pei, commonly known as I.M. Pei, has died at the age of 102 at his home in Manhattan, according to multiple reports on Thursday.

Praised as "one of the most revered architects in the world" by The New York Times, Pei has left the world many of its most well-known architectural designs, among many other intangible heritages.

Pei's modern designs and high-profile projects led him to be considered one of the most high-profile architects of the 20th century, with the renovation of Paris' Louvre Museum perhaps the most famous project he embarked on. He was also involved in the building of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in Cleveland.

What Pei valued most in architecture, as he put it, was that it must "stand the test of time". He also valued simplicity: "The simpler the solution, the more powerful it is," he once said.

Condolences flooded social media at the news of Pei's passing.

"Just a few minutes ago, the Louvre received the most saddening news. The architect behind the pyramid of Louvre Museum, the Chinese architecture we just mentioned a few days ago, Mr I.M. Pei, one of the greatest architectural masters in the world, died on May 16. He was 102. You may have gone to heaven, but you and your works will be forever remembered by the world," read the Louvre's official Sina Weibo account this morning.

"Mr Pei's outstanding architectural designs made greatly important contributions to the history of architecture. As a Chinese-American, Mr. Pei was devoted to promote mutual understanding between China and the US, and to further cultural exchange between the East and the West.

"The embassy building of China's embassy to the US is an exemplary work that merges the East and the West and that manifests the long-term friendship and common future between the two nations. We recall with sentiments the architectural legacy Mr Pei has left us, and the influence he has had on the world," read a statement from the embassy of the US to China.

"We are sad to hear the passing of architect I.M. Pei, whose incomparable contributions to museums and culture worldwide will leave an indelible legacy. In 1983, he accepted the Pritzker Architecture Prize here at The Met, saying: 'Let us all be attentive to new ideas, to advancing means, to dawning needs, to impetuses of change so that we may achieve, beyond architectural originality, a harmony of spirit in the service of man," read The Met's official Twitter account.

"For this Chinese-American growing up in the DC area, the East Wing of the National Gallery of Art was an extraordinarily special place. A monument ot beauty and to the possibilities of being an immigrant. RIP to a legend," Twitter user Jia Lynn Yang wrote.

"You cannot talk about architecture in the last 60 years without talking seriously about I.M. Pei," said Robert AM Stern, a former dean of the Yale University school of architecture. "It's not a single building. It's his work over a generation of time and his logical and relentless pursuit of the highest degree of excellence."

Pei was born in Guangzhou and raised in Hong Kong and Shanghai, before moving to the US in 1935. He studied at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and Harvard's design school, and spent the early years of his career designing buildings for a real estate developer in New York.

Pei is known for his affection towards precise geometry and design details. He also had a strong reverence for light, as shown in the famous pyramid of the Louvre Museum.

His significant works include the Jacob K Javits Convention Center in Manhattan (1979 to 1986), the Morton H Meyerson Symphony Center in Dallas (1982 to 1989), the Bank of China Tower in Hong Kong (1982 to 1989), and the Museum of Islamic Art in Doha, Qatar (2003 to 2008).