A good engineer thinks in reverse and asks himself about the stylistic consequences of the components and systems he proposes.

A building is hard to judge. It takes many years to find out whether it works. It's not as simple as asking the people in the office whether they like it.

When I think of some of my earlier work, it really seems a fortunate coincidence that I succeeded.

It's my goal to make a building as immaterial as possible. Architecture is a very material thing. It takes a lot of resources, so why not eliminate what you don't need as long as you're able to achieve the same result?

Higher ceilings allow the use indirect lighting, which is much healthier and reduces glare.

We prefer synthetic rather than natural materials. Natural products are almost too valuable. Wood is much harder to produce than metal. And metal is recyclable, while wood isn't.

Sometimes I have to accept a job I don't really want. Hardly anybody comes up to you with a commission; it's all competitions these days.