Helmut Jahn Quotes & Sayings

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

Sometimes I have to accept a job I don't really want. Hardly anybody comes up to you with a commission; it's all competitions these days. — Helmut Jahn

I've never looked at a suburban building as being a minor building and an urban building as being a major building. — Helmut Jahn

We prefer synthetic rather than natural materials. Natural products are almost too valuable. Wood is much harder to produce than metal. And metal is recyclable, while wood isn't. — Helmut Jahn

Creativity has more to do with the elimination of the inessential than with inventing something new. — Helmut Jahn

Most architects say: I want to use this type of glass, even if it's too reflective or doesn't let enough light in. However, the use of a certain type of glass might change the comfort level. — Helmut Jahn

We want our buildings to work like a machine that will create a pleasurable environment. — Helmut Jahn

I strive for an architecture from which nothing can be taken away. — Helmut Jahn

Chinese buildings are like American buildings, with big footprints. People don't care about daylight or fresh air. — Helmut Jahn

I think there will be a 200-story skyscraper someday. However, it will require a developer who will not think in conventional terms and for whom economic restraints won't apply. — Helmut Jahn

In Europe, architects consider themselves artists. They think they're special when they win a competition. — Helmut Jahn

I used to buy nice clothes and drive a nice car when I couldn't afford it. But I spent all my money doing it, and now I don't have to. I like nice things. I like to travel in a certain style. I like to live in a nice place. — Helmut Jahn

Success on one project does not necessarily mean success in the next project. You've got to be prepared in everything you do. — Helmut Jahn

For me, though, the fun is over when I get the job. — Helmut Jahn

I find if my body feels well and I exercise regularly, I think better, work better and feel better. — Helmut Jahn

The American attitude towards efficiency and execution should always underlie architecture. — Helmut Jahn

Critics are entitled to have an opinion, but how can they judge how comfortable a building is? No critic is smart enough to judge how a building will perform over time. — Helmut Jahn

You'd never think of taking a cab if you had to walk a mile down Chicago's Michigan Avenue. But in a bad city you take a cab just to go around the corner. — Helmut Jahn

A good engineer thinks in reverse and asks himself about the stylistic consequences of the components and systems he proposes. — 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

I think the younger generation, the people poised to dominate the workforce, are more socially conscious. They are more demanding in terms of environment and how that environment contributes to their life. — Helmut Jahn

When I work, I work very hard. When I don't work, I have to do something where my endeavor can totally take me off what I do professionally, like sailing. It takes all your attention. — 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

Transparency is not the same as looking straight through a building: it's not just a physical idea, it's also an intellectual one. — Helmut Jahn

IBM has a very solid business image. — Helmut Jahn

For me, drawing generates thinking and vice versa. — Helmut Jahn

Higher ceilings allow the use indirect lighting, which is much healthier and reduces glare. — Helmut Jahn

I wanted to improve the suburban office building; to create a great urban space in a suburban environment with all that implies about interaction, collaboration and creativity. — 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

In Europe, they're more demanding, the ones that rent the build ings. — Helmut Jahn

Every building is a prototype. No two are alike. — Helmut Jahn

A city building, you experience when you walk; a suburban building, you experience when you drive. — Helmut Jahn

When I think of some of my earlier work, it really seems a fortunate coincidence that I succeeded. — Helmut Jahn

I'm ashamed to be German. — Helmut Jahn

German and English firms operate internationally, while French firms do not. The only place where they all have work is in China. Anybody can sell himself in China! — Helmut Jahn

America has always imported history. — Helmut Jahn

A building is hard to judge. It takes many years to find out whether it works. It's not as simple as asking the people in the office whether they like it. — 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

I'm just a nice and easy person. — Helmut Jahn

When I came to America in the '60s, it was the place to be. I wonder if I'd come here today. — Helmut Jahn