when I worked for him I understood what kind of architect I wanted to be. He’s a very humane and generous person, and I understood that I didn’t want to do commercial architecture. I wanted to do projects that have a soul and a history, and even if they are new, they have an innovative edge and make people’s lives better.

For Hazlitt, Bridey Heing interviews architect Aziza Chaouni on the restoration of the library of al-Qarawiyyin, the world’s oldest library, located in the city of Fez in Morocco.