Helmut Jahn Quotes

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

  Helmut Jahn

  Taken, Architecture, Strive

  47 Copy quote

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

  Helmut Jahn

  Thinking, Reverse, Propose

  35 Copy quote

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

  Helmut Jahn

  Creativity, Something New, Elimination

  8 Copy quote

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

  Helmut Jahn

  Two, Architecture, Building

  8 Copy quote

• 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

  Simple, Years, People

  10 Copy quote

• 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

  Inspirational, Inspiring, Ideas

  19 Copy quote

• For me, drawing generates thinking and vice versa.

  Helmut Jahn

  Thinking, Drawing, Vices

  7 Copy quote

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

  Helmut Jahn

  Cities, Architecture, Building

  8 Copy quote

• 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

  Thinking, Young Generation, People

  7 Copy quote

• 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

  Long, Goal, Needs

  4 Copy quote

• 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

  Glasses, Light, Comfort

  8 Copy quote

• 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

  Creativity, Space, Office

  8 Copy quote

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

  Helmut Jahn

  Distance, Unique, Creating

  8 Copy quote

• America has always imported history.

  Helmut Jahn

  America

  7 Copy quote

• 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

  Thinking, Cities, Chicago

  10 Copy quote

• 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

  Smart, Judging, Opinion

  4 Copy quote

• 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

  Integrity, Ambition, Usa

  21 Copy quote

• 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

  Woods, Recycling, Natural

  7 Copy quote

• 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

  Jobs, Competition, Up To You

  6 Copy quote

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

  Helmut Jahn

  Air, People, Chinese

  8 Copy quote

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

  Helmut Jahn

  Artist, Winning, Thinking

  7 Copy quote

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

  Helmut Jahn

  America, Today, Wonder

  4 Copy quote

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

  Helmut Jahn

  Urban, Building, Minors

  4 Copy quote

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

  Helmut Jahn

  Attitude, Fuel Efficiency, Execution

  8 Copy quote

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

  Helmut Jahn

  Ceilings, Use, Indirect

  20 Copy quote

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