Quotes by Helmut Jahn

About Helmut Jahn:

Helmut Jahn is a German-American architect, well known for designs such as the US$800 million Sony Center on the Potsdamer Platz, Berlin, the Messeturm in Frankfurt and the One Liberty Place, formerly the tallest building in Philadelphia, and Suvarnabhumi Airport, an international airport in Bangkok, Thailand.
A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z

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

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 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

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

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

IBM has a very solid business image.

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

America has always imported history.

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

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

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

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

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

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

Helmut Jahn

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

Helmut Jahn

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

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

Author Bio

  • NameHelmut Jahn
  • DescriptionGerman architect
  • BornJanuary 4, 1940
  • CountryUnited States Of America; Germany
  • ProfessionArchitect
  • WorksKemper Arena; Post Tower
  • AwardsVerdienstkreuz 1. Klasse Des Verdienstordens Der Bundesrepublik Deutschland; Verdienstkreuz 1. Klasse Des Verdienstordens Der Bundesrepublik Deutschland