When I Was Growing Up In Iraq,

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.

You Have To Be Very Focused And Work Very Hard, But It Is Not About Working Hard Without Knowing What Your Aim Is!

When You Are Overworked And Exhausted, There Is A Sense Of Kind Of Delirium And That's Why I Think Architects Do All-nighters And They Kind Of Do Those Deadlines. For Four Days I Remember Doing Four Nights In One Row With No Sleep. I Mean Nobody, Unless You Are Crazy, Would Do That, But You Are Totally Focused On The Project.

When I First Came To Guangzhou In 1981, It Seemed Such A Hard And Dour Place With Everyone In Chairman Mao Uniforms.

The Paintings Have Only Ever Been Ways Of Exploring Architecture. I Don't See Them As Art.