Helmut Jahn

Helmut Jahn

11 quotes

Biography

Helmut Jahn was a German and American architect, known for projects such as The Center Potsdamer Platz in Berlin, Germany; the Messeturm in Frankfurt, Germany; the James R. Thompson Center in Chicago; One Liberty Place in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania; and Suvarnabhumi Airport, in Bangkok, Thailand, among others.

"I strive for an architecture from which nothing can be taken away."

Helmut Jahn

"It's my goal to make a building as immaterial as possible. Architecture is a very material thing. It takes a lot of resources, so why not eliminate what you don't need as long as you're able to achieve the same result?"

Helmut Jahn

"The American attitude towards efficiency and execution should always underlie architecture."

Helmut Jahn

"A city building, you experience when you walk a suburban building, you experience when you drive."

Helmut Jahn

"Every building is a prototype. No two are alike."

Helmut Jahn

"The architecture profession has lost a lot of its integrity, especially in the USA. The general architect here has no scruples, no ambitions."

Helmut Jahn

"The American attitude towards efficiency and execution should always underlie architecture."

Helmut Jahn

"You don't know what the Chinese expect in the way of beauty. The presentation is just a farce. You come into a room filled with 50 people and they don't talk to you. There's very little interaction."

Helmut Jahn

"A city building, you experience when you walk a suburban building, you experience when you drive."

Helmut Jahn

"We are creating a unique experience. It's starts with how you see the building from a distance."

Helmut Jahn

"Working is actually a pleasure. It's just very time-consuming. It's a way of life. I find that I can work when I travel and work when I run. There is nothing like, on a rainy day, to work."

Helmut Jahn