Frank Gehry: ‘The more humane a building, the better’

Frank Gehry, the winner of the Canadian-American Architecture Prize, is one of the most well-known architects in the world. He is a sculptor who works in the medium of bricks, mortar and magic, conjuring daring feats of architecture that appear to uproot and dance through the world. He says that his profession is an art form. There is a wall behind him filled with framed photographs of his friends and associates.

He talks of his sadness at world politics and his own experiences of the second world war. He reveals how his hope in the younger generation led him to co-found Turnaround Arts: California. They will tell you right from the beginning what they think. I have two granddaughters who call me "me" and "Nano" and they tell me straight.

This year will mark two important events. The 25th anniversary of the Guggenheim Bilbao is a testament to the transformation of the area. The first residential buildings in the UK by architect Frank Gehry are nearing completion. They are part of an audacious 9 billion dollar regeneration project that will transform a 42acre site into a new city neighbourhood and shopping mecca beside the river.

The two towers are a love letter to London. They are unmistakably Gehry. Some of the homes have double-aspect windows that overlook plant-filled terraces, others have spiral staircases, and some have panoramic views.

There are other architects on the block. The British architect Norman Foster designed a high street with upscale stores and restaurants on either side of the building. It is similar to the city streets created by John Nash.

My granddaughters call me nano. They tell it straight

Battersea's historic red-brick power station was built in two parts between 1929 and 1955 and is sufficientlyvernous to accommodate both his and Foster's developments. The Battersea Power Station Development Company's master plan includes a shopping mall which will open to customers this September. Many of the homes are already occupied. The opening of the Battersea Power Station Tube station on the Northern line now serves the bustling community at the site, which will be built by the residents of Gehry and Foster.

The centerpiece of the project was a flower building that connected to the power station. The protocol is to have one bedroom, two bedrooms, terraces, and that creates the texture, but the faade is what gives it a humanity.

He points to a picture on his stool as he speaks. More than 50 years ago, the Greek statue at the Sanctuary of Apollo sparked an idea for architect Frank Gehry. I thought to myself, "That is what I want to do with my buildings, that is how I want people to feel."

His infectious spirit feeds into the mood of his studio, which he surveys wearing a casual T-shirt and slacks, his glasses pulled on top of his head. The white space has no frills wooden furniture. There are models and paintings in every spare corner. A giant terracotta fish is on top of a cabinet. The Guggenheim Bilbao and the 52m golden Peix (Fish), which was built for the 1992 Olympics on the beachfront of Barcelona, were both inspired by fish.

The all-white exterior of the new London buildings by Frank Gehry makes them feel more like a scaled-back version of his other buildings. It was deliberate to not compete with the power station. His towers were part of a quartet of buildings that spoke to each other. His rippling 76-storey skyscraper in New York was inspired by the curves and folds of fabric depicted in the sculpture. This is being next to each other.

He admits that there is a bravery in what he does. Their society respected that. He doesn't see any difference between art and architecture.

When he was starting out as a graduate of the University of Southern California, not everyone agreed with him on this point. The culture I grew up in was embraced by the artist community in LA. I didn't look at other architects, but I was interested in Japan after the war, and all the teachers had been there. I played in a Japanese orchestra.

Gehry's love of music is his earliest and perhaps most profound influence, and it coloured many memories of his childhood in Canada. Glenn Gould did the Goldberg Variations in Toronto, where my family lived. I still listen to them. He says it was an important part of his life. He would love to design more concert halls.

My parents were poor, but my mother was instrumental in my passion for music and art. I used to walk to school through the park where Ernest MacMillan used to ride his bicycle, and we talked a lot. I became interested in art that way after she took me to the Art Gallery of Ontario.

One of the reasons his first residential buildings in London are so close to his heart is because of his mother. British royalty is singing the national anthem in my culture and life. I grew up with it. He once met Diana, Princess of Wales, but is still waiting for his invitation to tea at Buckingham Palace.