Competitions are the lifeblood of FOA. As with many a practice that got its first big break that way, they admit they are addicted to them, to the intensity of work involved. They have just finished a whole slew of them - among them the BBC, a second Pompidou Centre in Metz, France, a seafront development in Hastings, an extension to the Whitechapel Art Gallery in London. When we met, they were drifting down from the competition high, in limbo, waiting for results. "It was like giving birth to many, many babies over the summer," says Farshid, laughing at the absurdity of the thought. "Whether they'll survive, is another matter." Right on cue, her daughter toddles up. "MINA! You have eaten the purple icing on your cake and left the rest. You are a bad girl!"