Architecture is particularly difficult for women; there's no reason for it to be. I don't want to blame men or society, but I think it was for a long time, the clients were men, the building industry is all male.

In Iraq, many of my female friends were architects and professionals with a lot of power during the 1980s while all the men were at war in Iran.

Of course I believe imaginative architecture can make a difference to people's lives, but I wish it was possible to divert some of the effort we put into ambitious museums and galleries into the basic architectural building blocks of society.

When I taught, all my best students were women.

People say I design architectural icons. If I design a building and it becomes an icon, that's ok.

I really believe in the idea of the future.

Being Iraqi taught me to be very cautious.