This page uses content from the Helmut Jahn biography page on the English version of Wikipedia and is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. This list of authors can be seen in the page history. Rotten Tomatoes disclaims any and all warranties as to the accuracy or reliability of the content.

Helmut Jahn (b. January 4, 1940) is an architect, designer of dozens of major buildings throughout the world.

Despite starting off with a rocky start when the roof of his first major project Kemper Arena in Kansas City, Missouri collapsed in 1979, Jahn established his pre-eminent reputation in 1985 with the State of Illinois Center in Chicago which prompted him to be dubbed "Flash Gordon."[1]

Some of the better known among his creations are the US$800 Million Sony Center on the Potsdamer Platz, Berlin and the One Liberty Place, the tallest building in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

Jahn was born in Nuremberg, Germany in 1940. After attending the Technische Hochschule of Munich from 1960 to 1965 he worked with Peter C. von Seidlein for a year. In 1966 he emigrated to Chicago to further study architecture at the Illinois Institute of Technology. There he studied under the curriculum that had been designed by Ludwig Mies van der Rohe, learning the language and techniques of International Style modernism.

In 1967 he joined C. F. Murphy Associates and was appointed Executive Vice President and Director of Planning and Design of the firm in 1973. In 1981 the firm was renamed Murphy/Jahn, although Murphy died a few years later in 1985, leaving Jahn in control.

Completed projects

Following is a partial list of completed projects[2] and supplemented by the official Murphy/Jahn website[3] and the Emporis list [4]:

• 1974 Kemper Arena, Kansas City, Missouri
• 1976 Auraria Learning Resources Center, Auraria Higher Education Center, Denver, Colorado
• 1977 Saint Mary's College Athletic Facility, South Bend, Indiana(pictures)
• 1980 Xerox Center (55 West Monroe), Chicago, Illinois
• 1983 First Source Centre, South Bend, Indiana[5]
• 1983 11 Diagonal Street, Johannesburg, South Africa[6]
• 1984 O'Hare 'L' Station, O'Hare International Airport, Chicago Illinois
• 1985 James R. Thompson Center, Chicago, Illinois
• 1986 362 West Street, Durban, South Africa
• 1986 Oakbrook Terrace Tower, Oakbrook Terrace, Illinois[7]
• 1987 Park Avenue Tower, New York, New York[8]
• 1987 425 Lexington Avenue, New York, New York[9]
• 1987 United Airlines Terminal 1 at O'Hare International Airport, Chicago, Illinois
• 1987 One Liberty Place, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
• 1987 Cityspire, New York, New York[10]
• 1988 Wilshire/Westwood, Los Angeles, California
• 1990 Bank of America Tower, Jacksonville, Florida[11]
• 1990 Two Liberty Place, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania[12]
• 1991 Messeturm, Frankfurt, Germany
• 1993 Hitachi Tower, Singapore[13]
• 1993 Caltex House, Singapore
• 1994 Hotel Kempinski, Munich, Germany
• 1994 Kurfürstendamm 70, Berlin, Germany
• 1997 RCID Administration Building, Orlando, Florida
• 1998 Generale Bank Nederland, Rotterdam, The Netherlands
• 1999 European Union Headquarters, Brussels
• 1999 Munich Airport Center, Germany
• 2000 Sony Center Berlin, Germany
• 2000 Cologne Bonn Airport, Cologne (Köln), Germany
• 2000 HA·LO Headquarters (presently the headquarters of Shure), Niles, Illinois
• 2000 Neues Kranzler Eck, Berlin, Germany
• 2002 Kaufhof Galeria, Chemnitz, Germany
• 2002 Shanghai International Expo Centre, Shanghai, China
• 2002 Bayer AG Konzernzentrale[14], Leverkusen, Germany
• 2003 Deutsche Post Tower, Bonn, Germany
• 2003 IIT Student Housing, Chicago, Illinois
• 2003 Highlight Munich Business Towers, Munich, Germany
• 2004 Horizon Serono, Geneva, Switzerland
• 2005 MAX, Frankfurt, Germany
• 2006 Suvarnabhumi Airport, Bangkok, Thailand

Awards

• 1991 - "Ten Most Influential Living American Architects" from the American Institute of Architects
• 1993 - "Outstanding Achievement/Architect Award" from the Illinois Academy of Fine Arts
• 1994 - "Bundesverdienstkreuz Erster Klasse" of the Federal Republic of Germany
• 2002 - Institute Honour Award of the American Institute of Architects for the Sony Center.

Image:Frankfurt am Main Messeturm.jpg|Fair trade tower, Frankfurt Image:Posttower Bonn 001.jpg|The Posttower, Bonn

External links

• Murphy/Jahn official website.
• The New Modernism of Helmut Jahn
• Murphy/Jahn portfolio on Emporis
• projectchicago.org entry: 120 North LaSalle building
• projectchicago.org entry: State Street Village

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