Thomas Heatherwick

“Often the most important moment in the design process is figuring out what the right question is.”

“My studio's passion is improving the public experience of cities for everyone.”

“Everything that we start is something that we don't know what the outcome is going to be.”

“Historically, in the world of architecture, enormous amounts of care and energy have been lavished on things that are almost a cliched idea of culture.”

“I have a strong sense that every project is an invention, which is not a word I hear being used in architecture courses.”

“To make architecture with any real value is a massive challenge.”

“I don't enjoy the sound of my voice in front of other people.”

“It gives me the creeps when I see a frame for a building going up and recognise the architect. You shouldn't know who a project is by.”

“An interest in ideas is a sign of human life. People are fascinated by what the future is going to be - and the future is going to be an accumulation of ideas.”

“Ambition is a form of creativity.”

“I'm wary of the word 'inventing,' because in the British psyche the word 'inventor' is immediately linked with 'mad'. For me, inventing is problem-solving.”

“One great building does not make a great city.”

“The world of contemporary art has, in a way, exponentially expanded in the last couple of decades, and almost every major city in Europe and Asia and North America has fallen over themselves to have their own contemporary art museum.”

“When I was little, I just was very tuned in to the functionality and aesthetics of things around me.”

“I don't feel I'm trying to make art. I'm trying to make interesting things. People can relate to that.”

“For me, every one of our projects is a research-and-development project.”

“I'm not really interested in creating things to be seen inside a private gallery. I'm interested in creating things that are all around us, that engage us. I just find the things that I respond to are useful.”