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 inte...”

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

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

“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...”

“America has always imported history.”

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

“Every building is a prototype. No two are alike.”

“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.”

“The architecture profession has lost a lot of its integrity, especially in the USA. The general architect here has no scruples, no ambitions.”

“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.”

“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.”

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