Responding to Germany's strict environmental
codes, Jahn's Bayer Headquarters expresses his ideal for a work
of architecture, as outlined in the symposium: a synthesis of
client and code requirements with engineering, the last providing
solutions to the demands of the first two. And, though unspoken,
he balances the engineering approach with a strong modernist
aesthetic, using glass and steel that achieve varying levels
of transparency arising from environmental considerations, in
particular a double-skin facade that allows for yearly passive
heating and cooling. A question arises from his capacity for
production, and the locations of his projects: Why isn't the
same level of design occurring in Chicago?
