Quotes by Minoru Yamasaki

About Minoru Yamasaki:

Minoru Yamasaki was an American architect, best known for designing the original World Trade Center in New York City and several other large-scale projects. Yamasaki was one of the most prominent architects of the 20th century. He and fellow architect Edward Durell Stone are generally considered to be the two master practitioners of "New Formalism".
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

I feel this is very important for us to have serene buildings because our civilization is chaotic as it is, you see; our whole machine age has brought about a chaos that has to be somehow counterbalanced, I think.

Minoru Yamasaki

So what we have tried to do in our later buildings is to try to be completely consistent, as a painter is consistent or as a sculptor is consistent. Architecture also must be very consistent.

Minoru Yamasaki

If you examine this, I think that you will find that it's the mechanics of Japanese architecture that have been thought of as the direct influence upon our architecture.

Minoru Yamasaki

We build buildings which are terribly restless. And buildings don't go anywhere. They shouldn't be restless.

Minoru Yamasaki

Let's talk about the Gas Company because this is my favorite job.

Minoru Yamasaki

The view outside was much more important than the exhibits.

Minoru Yamasaki

Being the gateway to a large city, St. Louis, I had felt from the very beginning that somehow this building should symbolize this sense of being a gateway.

Minoru Yamasaki

But now I know that it is very important that all buildings should be consistent, that this is the quality of the Gothic cathedral, for instance, that we like.

Minoru Yamasaki

In other words, each piece of the building must look as though it was designed for that particular building.

Minoru Yamasaki

If you look at the buildings, you'll find that one part looks as if it was designed by one man, and you go around and look at another facade and it looks as if it was designed by another man, you see.

Minoru Yamasaki

And a building must be like a human being. It must have a wholeness about it, something that is very important.

Minoru Yamasaki

In other words, I have no truck for anyone who goes out and does an eclectic building.

Minoru Yamasaki

I believe that we must understand the economy of the situation.

Minoru Yamasaki

In this tour around the world I was not interested in contemporary buildings because I had seen contemporary buildings actually until they came out of my ears in a sense.

Minoru Yamasaki

Because, if we understand how a building is to be produced and we find a way that it can be more simply produced, then obviously we are contributing to building better buildings more easily.

Minoru Yamasaki

And sometimes I'm criticized. But I think that if those who criticize us will look at the reason why the shape is this, well then, I think that they would not object so strenuously.

Minoru Yamasaki

If you have white walls, human beings look better in a room than if you have red walls.

Minoru Yamasaki

And exciting buildings are fine periodically.

Minoru Yamasaki

I can't do everything obviously although sometimes I know that all of us wish that we could.

Minoru Yamasaki

And I like the idea of change. Because I don't see why we should hang a painting on the wall and then just not think of it anymore because it's there like a piece of furniture.

Minoru Yamasaki

Author Bio

  • NameMinoru Yamasaki
  • DescriptionAmerican architect
  • BornDecember 1, 1912
  • DiedFebruary 7, 1986
  • CountryUnited States Of America
  • ProfessionArchitect
  • WorksBOK Tower