Helmut Jahn was a huge force in the design community. His projects, and seemingly his personality, were larger than life. One of his more well-known local projects (Thompson Center) was recently in the media, thankfully evading demolition. Unfortunately, Jahn passed away in May 2021 in an unexpected bicycle accident. In memory of him, the Chicago Architecture Center (CAC) put on a temporary exhibit. With drawings and models from his office, and thoughts from prominent design community members, we were able to reflect on the significant history of Jahn and his firm.
(Unfortunately, the exhibit is no longer on display after March 14.)
Joe and Rika Mansueto Library, Image Courtesy of JAHN
Jahn’s portfolio is a great example of how styles change over time. Influenced by the education and mentoring of prominent Modernist architects, you can see how Jahn took that as a jumping off point for his projects. In materiality, he used glass and metal throughout his career. Those materials lend to his projects being streamlined, sleek, and minimal - evoking Modernist tradition. But he breaks away from that mold with his embrace of technology and shapely form. 1000 S Michigan on the southern edge of Grant Park here in Chicago, IL and 50 West Street in NYC have softened edges. The Mansueto Library at University of Chicago has a heavenly domed roof. The Post Tower in Bonn, Germany uses the offset elliptical shape (check it out in plan) to adjust for wind and create stability.
Post Tower, Image Courtesy of JAHN
The German high rise also takes mechanical advantage of a double skin glass facade, as do many of Jahn’s other projects. Echoing the high-tech architecture movement (i.e. Norman Foster, Richard Rogers, Renzo Piano, etc.), Jahn embraced new technology and allowed it to inform his design decisions. Reaching beyond the scale of some of his peers’ projects, Jahn created Sony Center, an OMA-like-f*ck-context multiplex. Its beauty is in its ambition. It’s a wonderful collage of spatial function and innovative detailing. (Please forgive me for my occasional designer jargon).
The Suvarnabhumi International Airport was highlighted in the exhibit, emphasizing again Jahn’s frequent collaboration with German engineer Werner Sobek. The massive long-span roof was achieved through multi-dimensional trusses (I explain that vaguely because I indeed have a vague understanding of it). Airport architecture is a unique and challenging art form. The scale is immense. The orchestration of many moving parts and people is overwhelming. In Suvarnabhumi, O’Hare Terminal 1, Munich Airport Center (I’m obsessed), and various parts of other airport projects, Jahn translated that complexity into something stunning.
Munich Airport Center, Image Courtesy of JAHN
Though the exhibit itself was a bit confusing at times (the permanent CAC collection of scale models was weirdly intertwined with this exhibit), the CAC recognized Helmut Jahn’s legacy. He epitomized post-modernism. He was a deviation from the norm, and he was an answer to the subdued conditions of modernism. He was, and continues to be, an inspiration to the design community.