Famed Architect Helmut Jahn Killed in Illinois Bike Accident

[Gsinill]

https://www.usnews.com/news/us/artic...-bike-accident

Sad news, put his stamp on a lot of buildings in Chicago and around the world.
Apparently didn't stop at a stop sign...
Be safe out there!

[dbnm]

ugh.

81 years old and he went through a stop sign.

ugh.

[vitaly66]

Was he wearing a Helmut?

[sokyroadie]

Originally Posted by vitaly66

Was he wearing a Helmut?

Pretty classless post.

[reuben]

Originally Posted by sokyroadie

Pretty classless post.

Agreed.

[nalax]

Back before I retired as a photojournalist, I photographed Mr. Jahn with then Chicago Mayor Harold Washington at the opening of the United Terminal which he designed and later at the University of Chicago where he discussed his design of the new Library. We briefly discussed creativity over a glass of wine but I didn't know that he was a rider. Sorry to hear about his passing, he was still designing into his 80's.

[AJM100]

Sad. Chicago - to me - is perhaps the nicest mix of old and new, a very well planned and executed city.

[R3awak3n]

Originally Posted by vitaly66

Was he wearing a Helmut?

Maybe it will happen to a family member of yours someday and we can all have a laugh... come on, have some respect

[bronk]

Originally Posted by R3awak3n

Maybe it will happen to a family member of yours someday and we can all have a laugh...

Which part of that was respectful?

[chuckroast]

Well this is a sad way to die but he leaves a terrific legacy of built work. It's ironic that several architects have died in unfortunate accidents including Antonio Gaudi and Carlo Scarpa.

[savechief]

Always loved the United terminal at O'Hare when I was growing up.

But the article is messed up. 55 miles east of Chicago? Not a lot of cars there.

[spoonrobot]

That's a weird stop sign to run, it's perpendicular to the road. I guess the expectation is that he ran it to turn left against traffic? Because if he ran it and turned right he'd just go onto the shoulder with no problem.

Seems like something else happened if he just blew straight through without turning.

[Plum Hill]

Could the Chicagoans tell me what the deal is with the Thompson Center?
I walked through it while attending the Kristkindl Market a few years ago and found it seemingly empty mid-week.

[fiamme red]

Originally Posted by Plum Hill

Could the Chicagoans tell me what the deal is with the Thompson Center?
I walked through it while attending the Kristkindl Market a few years ago and found it seemingly empty mid-week.

I've never been to the Thompson Center, but from what I've heard, it sounds like a triumph of form over function, reminding me of Calatrava's Oculus at the World Trade Center.

https://www.chicagomag.com/city-life...ompson-Center/

The next month, a compressor went out in the building's dysfunctional air-conditioning system, allowing temperatures to hit 90 degrees. Employees brought in fans to cool themselves, at least until it got so hot they were sent home, and set up umbrellas to prevent glare from making their computers unreadable, "a result of the building's single-paned (versus double-paned) glass," according to the Tribune. The paper reported in 1986 that the estimates to power the building were off 65 percent and around $500,000 in the building's first year.

"The media darling [Helmut Jahn] has created a monster that is virtually impossible to keep temperate," wrote William Lavicka, president of the Structural Engineers Association of Illinois, in a letter to the Tribune in November of 1985. "Here is a case where government has let a stylist run amok and create a $200 million building that no responsible engineer or architect could ever save from probable heating and air-conditioning disaster."

RIP Helmut Jahn. He was certainly a talented architect.

[gavingould]

Originally Posted by Plum Hill

Could the Chicagoans tell me what the deal is with the Thompson Center?
I walked through it while attending the Kristkindl Market a few years ago and found it seemingly empty mid-week.

who knows. seems to get most traffic on the lower level - train station in/out and there is a food court for nearby office buildings down there. otherwise in the 20 years i lived in Chicago i think i went in twice for a secretary of state/DMV office in there, also on the lower level.
if i'm not mistaken, there is quite a bit of empty office space in the building and tenancy has been dwindling for some time.