Success on one project does not necessarily mean success in the next project. You’ve got to be prepared in everything you do. – 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
When I think of some of my earlier work, it really seems a fortunate coincidence that I succeeded. – Helmut Jahn
A city building, you experience when you walk; a suburban building, you experience when you drive. – Helmut Jahn
Higher ceilings allow the use indirect lighting, which is much healthier and reduces glare. – 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
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
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
I find if my body feels well and I exercise regularly, I think better, work better and feel better. – Helmut Jahn
A good engineer thinks in reverse and asks himself about the stylistic consequences of the components and systems he proposes. – Helmut Jahn
In Europe, architects consider themselves artists. They think they’re special when they win a competition. – Helmut Jahn
Chinese buildings are like American buildings, with big footprints. People don’t care about daylight or fresh air. – 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. – 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. – Helmut Jahn
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
Creativity has more to do with the elimination of the inessential than with inventing something new. – 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. – Helmut Jahn
We are creating a unique experience. It’s starts with how you see the building from a distance. – 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
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