Quotes by Helmut Jahn

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

— Helmut Jahn

Wisdom

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

— Helmut Jahn

Wisdom

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

— Helmut Jahn

Wisdom

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

— Helmut Jahn

Wisdom

Every building is a prototype. No two are alike.

— Helmut Jahn

Wisdom

For me, drawing generates thinking and vice versa.

— Helmut Jahn

Wisdom

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

Wisdom

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

— Helmut Jahn

Success

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

Success

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

Wisdom

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

Success

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

Success

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

— Helmut Jahn

Wisdom

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

— Helmut Jahn

Wisdom

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

— Helmut Jahn

Wisdom

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

Wisdom

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

— Helmut Jahn

Wisdom

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

Wisdom

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

Success

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

Wisdom

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

Wisdom

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

Wisdom

America has always imported history.

— Helmut Jahn

Wisdom

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

— Helmut Jahn

Wisdom