I find industrial cities exciting. I like their toughness.

When I first came to Guangzhou in 1981, it seemed such a hard and dour place with everyone in Chairman Mao uniforms.

I have always appreciated those who dare to experiment with materials and proportions.

A brilliant design will always benefit from the input of others.

As a woman, I'm expected to want everything to be nice and to be nice myself. A very English thing. I don't design nice buildings - I don't like them. I like architecture to have some raw, vital, earthy quality.

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.

There are 360 degrees, so why stick to one?