Woman behind the 'Water Cube'
If you were asked to guess Chen Lei's profession, engineering might not be the first career that springs to mind after a glance at the slim, soft-spoken 38-year-old woman. But she is more: she was the chief engineer for the construction of the National Aquatics Centre, better known as the 'Water Cube'.
And one year after the translucent blue venue hosted the swimming competitions at the Beijing Olympics, it is still winning as many admirers as the 'Bird's Nest' stadium nearby, with its striking steel-mesh exterior.
Sitting in the venue, which still attracts tens of thousands of visitors from throughout the mainland every day, Ms Chen said she was still proud of what she and her teams had done 'to leave a masterpiece in this city that will endure the test of time'.
'It's become a scenic spot in Beijing and an Olympic icon, you see,' she said, pointing to people taking pictures in the centre. 'Compared with other venues, I still think it's a wonderful venue, with that compelling bubble-like look and many advanced technical elements.'
After a long rest, she came back to the 'Water Cube' to oversee its transformation into a multipurpose leisure centre, featuring a water park and a recreation centre with spas, and a shopping area.
It was another milestone in her trailblazing career. She was appointed chief engineer by the China Construction First Building Group in 2004 when she was only 33 and, either because of her young age or her gender, sceptics raised doubts over her abilities in the male-dominated construction industry.
The only way to win them over, Ms Chen said, was to rely on her belief in perfectionism, her 'firm will' and to 'work quietly and persistently'.
From 2004, she spent every day at the aquatics centre's construction site, signing every blueprint and technical proposal, overcoming technical difficulties and witnessing the venue being built.
'For the first three years we worked hard and quietly, but later on, as people began to realise the challenge the 'Water Cube' was becoming for the builders, pressure began to build,' she recalled.
The 'Water Cube' was designed without a main pillar to support the ceiling, and its massive use of pneumatic cushions baffled many engineers. Although conceding that the construction was a huge challenge, Ms Chen said she tried to view it as a team project rather than put too much pressure on herself.
'We had various technical teams specialised in every aspect of the construction, so it was definitely a group job,' she said. 'My duty was to render a decision on each idea and everything related to the technology. I needed to be very clear-minded and decisive.
'I've never tolerated imperfection. The only way was to try my best to make everything flawless on this construction site, and I am satisfied that I did it.'
Born into what she calls a 'technically minded family' in Huangshi , Hubei - her father worked in design at the Huangshi Institute of Technology - Ms Chen entered the construction industry in 1993 after graduating from Wuhan University of Technology. She was in charge of several important projects in Beijing, such as the second phase of the International Trade Centre, before she was appointed to the 'Water Cube' project.
She hopes the 'Water Cube' will not be the last pinnacle of her career.
'Just because it was an Olympics project I was pushed to the front line,' she said. 'I took this opportunity as an honour, but it will not change my attitude towards other projects in the future.'
