[1] The work of Moussavi's London-based practice, FMA, is celebrated for projects that integrate an inventive approach to space and materials and a strong social awareness, whether they be a cultural centre such as the Museum of Contemporary Art in Cleveland or a community centre such as the Ismaili Center Houston (currently under construction), a social housing project in Montpellier, or an elementary school in Saclay (under development), both in France.

The practice is currently working on a number of high-profile projects including The Ismaili Center Houston in the USA, an elementary school in the Saclay district of Paris, a mixed-use block in Montpellier, and a flagship store in Shanghai.

[3] Previously, Moussavi taught at the Architectural Association in London for eight years (1993–2000), and was subsequently appointed as Head of the Academy of Fine Arts in Vienna (2002–2005).

Her work in aesthetics is influenced by a range of philosophers, notably Spinoza, Gilles Deleuze and Félix Guattari, and Jacques Rancière.

Moussavi argues that, in order to move people's experience away from routine and to open up the possibility for new types of action, architects need to provide built forms with novel affects.