The world has changed a great deal from when I began 50 years ago. I was very fortunate. There were a lot of opportunities that perhaps don't exist today.

We are all affected by Le Corbusier, Frank Lloyd Wright, Alvar Aalto, and Mies van der Rohe. But no less than Bramante, Borromini, and Bernini. Architecture is a tradition, a long continuum. Whether we break with tradition or enhance it, we are still connected to that past. We evolve.

One of the real challenges, since we're working in so many places - Mexico, Japan, Brazil - is understanding variations, both in terms of culture and context.

The work needs to have a certain longevity. It lasts longer than we do.

I was in Taiwan recently and was completely amazed by the density of population. It makes New York look like no one is out on the streets.

Each museum is different - the collection is different, the context is different, the relationship between the art and architecture is different.

We look at each one [project] and consider the context - what it is and what it can be - beyond the strictly functional concerns.