Sustainability is more than a feature of our design approach — it is a commitment that defines it. At Jahn, we passionately embrace urban responsibility, innovative engineering, and optimized façade performance to elevate the overall excellence of our buildings. This vision transcends the conventional boundaries of energy conservation, encompassing the well-being and comfort of occupants in every space, inside and out.
Our approach is comprehensive, acknowledging the critical importance of every building component and system in minimizing environmental impact. While certifications like LEED and WELL mark the beginning of our journey in sustainable design, our aspirations stretch beyond these benchmarks. This relentless pursuit of optimal performance demands a deep, collaborative synergy among design professionals and clients, ensuring that our designs are not just energy-efficient, but represent a pioneering approach toward reducing carbon emissions throughout their lifecycle.
The pursuit of this outcome is what gives us purpose. It is our responsibility to make it seamless, balancing nature, sense of place, and an experience that thrills and excites.
Ideas/
Exhibitions
Life + Architecture: Helmut Jahn exhibition at the Chicago Architecture Center
The exhibition, “Helmut Jahn: Life + Architecture,” showcased significant designs from Jahn’s illustrious career, including notable projects like the crystalline Michigan City Public Library and the striking James R. Thompson Center in Chicago. It also highlighted transformative designs, including the Sony Center in Berlin and the construction of the Pritzker Military Archives Center in Wisconsin, which was still ongoing at the time of the exhibition.
Debuting at the Chicago Architecture Center nearly one year after Jahn’s passing, the posthumous exhibition featured photography, models, and sketches that shed light on Jahn’s collaborative design and engineering process. Additionally, images from Jahn’s family archives, videos, and recollections from those who knew and worked with Jahn emphasized his dramatic flair and zest for life.
Process Progress/ Retrospective exhibition at Neues Museum in Nuremberg
“Helmut Jahn: Process Progress” — an international exhibition by the Neues Museum in Nuremberg and Die Neue Sammlung (the International Design Museum, Munich) — showcased the comprehensive body of work by Helmut Jahn. The exhibition focused on Jahn’s open approach to architecture, characterized by two overarching concepts: process, representing work process, and progress, signifying advancement. It presented Jahn’s dynamic portfolio, spanning from his early works in Chicago to contemporary “mega big buildings” in Qatar, China, Japan, and Korea, and also explored Jahn’s visionary projects for ideal cities in the Emirates and large-scale shopping centers in China.
Despite the scale of these projects, Jahn’s personal touch was incorporated throughout the exhibition, through drawings that were executed on small paper blocks or notebooks. The exhibition also displayed architectural models, primarily made of Plexiglas, and featured photographs of Jahn’s works captured by photographer Rainer Viertlböck.
Helmut Jahn’s return to Nuremberg after 46 years provided a comprehensive overview of Jahn’s career, showcasing both built and forthcoming projects and exploring his belief that “the future is never wrong.”
Evan Jahn and Francis Greenberger, CEO of Time Equities, share origin story of 1000M at Bisnow’s Multifamily Conference
At Bisnow’s recent keynote, Francis Greenberger, CEO of Time Equities Inc. and Evan Jahn shared the story behind 1000M Chicago‘s newest luxury residential tower. They highlighted how our team carried the project through an extraordinary journey from pandemic delays and financing shifts to the tragic loss of Helmut, without losing sight of the vision.
Award‑Winning EDEN Tower Boldly Blends Nature and Architecture
Award-winning EDEN Tower boldly fuses nature and architecture, with more than 2,000 square meters of living walls climbing its 98-meter façade. Recognized with CTBUH’s Best Tall Building Under 100 Meters Award, the 29-story residential tower introduces a new generation of sustainable high-rise living to Frankfurt’s city center. Jahn and Sempergreen, which developed the green wall…
Google makes progress on Chicago headquarters with windows update
The transformation of the Thompson Center into Google’s new Chicago headquarters continues by replacing its outdated skin with a high-performance triple-pane glass curtain wall designed to reduce glare, cut solar heat gain, and dramatically improve insulation.
Eden Tower Receives an International Architecture Award Honorable Mention
Eden Tower received an International Architecture Award Honorable Mention, sponsored by The Chicago Athenaeum: Museum of Architecture and Design and The European Centre for Architecture Art Design and Urban Studies.
Eden Tower Receives an International Architecture Award Honorable Mention
Eden Tower received an International Architecture Award Honorable Mention, sponsored by The Chicago Athenaeum: Museum of Architecture and Design and The European Centre for Architecture Art Design and Urban Studies.
Pritzker Military Museum and Library Named World Architecture Festival Finalist
Pritzker Military Museum and Library will go on to compete LIVE at the festival in Miami, November 12-14, 2025, where we will present the project to the esteemed judging panel.
Eden Tower in Frankfurt, Germany, has won a Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat (CTBUH) Best Tall Building Award of Excellence! Celebrated for its innovative architectural vision and dedication to sustainable urban living, the tower features lush vertical greenwalls that create a biophilic environment rising with the city—seamlessly blending nature and high-rise design.
1000M Chicago has been named Multifamily Development of the Year at the Chicago Commercial Real Estate Awards! We’re thrilled to receive this recognition and proud to share the spotlight with so many inspiring projects shaping Chicago’s skyline. It’s a tribute to the incredible teamwork, creativity, and commitment that brought 1000M to life.
Award‑Winning EDEN Tower Boldly Blends Nature and Architecture
Award-winning EDEN Tower boldly fuses nature and architecture, with more than 2,000 square meters of living walls climbing its 98-meter façade. Recognized with CTBUH’s Best Tall Building Under 100 Meters Award, the 29-story residential tower introduces a new generation of sustainable high-rise living to Frankfurt’s city center. Jahn and Sempergreen, which developed the green wall…
Integrated by Design: Realizing Jahn’s Vision for the Pritzker Military Museum and Library
Emerging from the landscape of Sturtevant, Wisconsin, the Pritzker Military Museum and Library stands proud as a testament to Jahn’s enduring philosophy of integrated design. Built to accommodate the expanding collections of Chicago’s Pritzker Military Museum & Library, the project brings together architecture, technology, systems, and construction to create architecture of integrity, furthering our firm’s…
Looking back on 40 years of the James R. Thompson Center
2025 will mark 40 years since the Thompson Center first opened as the State of Illinois Center. Although it sparked much conversation and debate at the time, it proved to be a game changer for our firm — a building that allowed us to test new ideas and push the boundaries of what a government building should be. A building for the people, by the people.
