An architect is not an artist but an optimistic realist.

Treat the world like a failed state, then you can understand the players needed to fix it.

When you build a beautiful building, people love it. And the most sustainable building in the world is the one that’s loved.

When your focus is social change and not financial change why wouldn't you want to share that openly? Innovation only succeeds when it's shared.

When your focus is social change and not financial change why wouldn't you want to share that openly? Innovation only succeeds when it's shared. If you're a pioneer and you come up with something that can change the world and you turn round and say 'I'm not going to share this idea with anyone' then you only impact the few and not the many.

A true architect is not an artist but an optimistic realist. They take a diverse number of stakeholders, extract needs, concerns, and dreams, then create a beautiful yet tangible solution that is loved by the users and the community at large. We create vessels in which life happens.

Success will only happen with Afghans leading the charge, and it is far, far more important for Kabul to create and support a purpose-driven school of architecture than to invite a high profile designer to build.