Helmut Jahn Quotes

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

By: Helmut Jahn

In Europe, they're more demanding, the ones that rent the build ings... view

By: Helmut Jahn

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

By: Helmut Jahn

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

By: Helmut Jahn

I wanted to improve the suburban office building.. view

By: 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... view

By: Helmut Jahn

Creativity has more to do with the elimination of the inessential than with inventing something new... view

By: Helmut Jahn

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

By: 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?.. view

By: Helmut Jahn

For me, though, the fun is over when I get the job... view

By: 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... view

By: Helmut Jahn

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

By: Helmut Jahn

America has always imported history... view

By: Helmut Jahn

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

By: Helmut Jahn

A city building, you experience when you walk.. view

By: 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... view

By: Helmut Jahn

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

By: 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!.. view

By: 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... view

By: Helmut Jahn

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

By: Helmut Jahn

Sometimes I have to accept a job I don't really want. Hardly anybody comes up to you with a commission.. view

By: 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... view

By: 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... view

By: 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... view

By: Helmut Jahn

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

By: Helmut Jahn

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

By: Helmut Jahn

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

By: Helmut Jahn

We want our buildings to work like a machine that will create a pleasurable environment... view

By: 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... view

By: 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... view

By: Helmut Jahn