Helmut Jahn Quotes

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.

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.

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

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

We want our buildings to work like a machine that will create a pleasurable environment.

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.