What's similar between Britain and America is the lack of good-quality civic buildings.

I am equally proud of all of my architectural projects. It's always rewarding to see an ambitious design become reality.

When I was growing up in Iraq, there was an unbroken belief in progress and a great sense of optimism. It was a moment of nation building.

I think about architecture all the time. That's the problem. But I've always been like that. I dream it sometimes.

There are 360 degrees, so why stick to one?

For many years, I hated nature. As a student, I refused to put a plant anywhere - a living plant, that is. Dead plants were OK.

In terms of form, all the projects interest me equally, although there are obviously large differences according to the scale and process of each project.