Iwan Baan
  • Photography
  • Books
  • Exhibitions
  • News
  • About
  • Contact
  • Facebook
  • Instagram

Thompson Center – Helmut Jahn

2024

Completed in 1985 and designed by Helmut Jahn, the James R. Thompson Center in Chicago is a bold example of Postmodern civic architecture. Its sweeping, curved glass façade—referencing the dome of the Illinois State Capitol—symbolizes transparency and accessibility in government, breaking from Modernist rigidity with vibrant color and expressive form.

The building’s southeast profile is a slice of a hollow sphere, clad in blue glass and salmon-colored steel, while its monumental 13-story atrium, topped with a skylight, creates a dynamic public interior. Encircled by open office balconies and animated by escalators and exposed elevators, the space functions as a vertical civic plaza.

At ground level, a large rotunda floor cutout connects to a food court, state services, and pedestrian passages—underscoring the building’s role as a populist, accessible hub within the city.

Part of the Office of Good Intentions. Human(s) Work

Favorite
Favorite
Favorite
Favorite
Favorite
Favorite
Favorite
Favorite
Favorite
Favorite

Tags:

  • Building,
  • Chicago,
  • Helmut Jahn,
  • Office,
  • Postmodern,
  • state government,
  • and United States of America

Other projects tagged with Building, Chicago, Helmut Jahn, Office, Postmodern, state government and United States of America

Beinecke Library Yale University – SOM

Beinecke Library Yale University – SOM

Pierrevives Archives, Montpellier, France – Zaha Hadid Architects

Pierrevives Archives, Montpellier, France – Zaha Hadid Architects

Upstate House – Christian Wassmann

Upstate House – Christian Wassmann

Giant Interactive Group, Shanghai China – Morphosis

Giant Interactive Group, Shanghai China – Morphosis

EENWERK Gallery – Barend Koolhaas

EENWERK Gallery – Barend Koolhaas

Sarphatistraat Offices, Amsterdam The Netherlands – Steven Holl

Sarphatistraat Offices, Amsterdam The Netherlands – Steven Holl

Second Home London – Selgas Cano

Second Home London – Selgas Cano

Tate Modern Extension – Herzog & de Meuron

Tate Modern Extension – Herzog & de Meuron

US Olympic & Paralympic Museum – Diller Scofidio + Renfro

US Olympic & Paralympic Museum – Diller Scofidio + Renfro

Rolex Learning Centre Finished, EPFL Lausanne, Switzerland – SANAA

Rolex Learning Centre Finished, EPFL Lausanne, Switzerland – SANAA

Second Home Lisbon – Selgas Cano

Second Home Lisbon – Selgas Cano

AMNH New York – Studio Gang

AMNH New York – Studio Gang

  • Home
  • Portfolio
  • Thompson Center – Helmut Jahn

Iwan Baan Photography, Rozenstraat 145, 1016 NP Amsterdam, The Netherlands, e-mail: studio@iwan.com — all images © Iwan Baan 1996 - 2025