The buildings of German-American architect Helmut Jahn (born 1940) dramatically combine the modernist, glass-skinned style of Mies van der Rohe with traditional architectural imagery. Always mindful of energy and cost efficiency, and yet convinced that buildings should enjoy a variety of colors, patterns, and textures, Jahn created technologically advanced structures that had widespread appeal.

Helmut Jahn was born in Nuremberg, Germany, in 1940. His father, William Anton Jahn, served in the German army during World War II. He spent a year as a prisoner of war in Philadelphia, Pennsylviania, in the United States. After the war, William Jahn returned to his career as a primary school teacher, a profession that he hoped young Helmut would pursue. His son, however, showed an aptitude for drawing and decided to become an architect, a decision that may have been inspired by his growing up among the war-ravaged buildings of his country. In 1965, Jahn...