I don't make things with my hands, although I studied woodworking and made furniture.

I used to read more when I was a kid than I do now. It was all sort of fuel for the fire to teach you how to think and how to make things and it informed the architecture that I was doing. It's better coming in with that history and that kind of knowledge and depth of understanding of humanity that is very important for building buildings - for understanding people and how they should live and how you could make your lives better and stuff like that.

Well, I've always just - I've never really gone out looking for work. I always waited for it to sort of hit me on the head.

I don't know why people hire architects and then tell them what to do.

There is a backlash against me and everyone who has done buildings that have movement and feeling.

My buildings are all on budget.

A well-designed home has to be very comfortable. I can't stand the aesthetes, the minimal thing. I can't live that way. My home has to be filled with stuff - mostly paintings, sculpture, my fish lamps, cardboard furniture, lots of books.