For some, there is no perfect East-West architectural blend. "There are no examples of a good combination of the two at the moment," says Li. "Some people say creating a Western building with a Chinese roof in the shape of a temple or palace is a good example. Most architects don't agree."

One sticking point is the number of gray areas in architectural theory, and the difficulty of applying old stereotypes to an era of dynamic change. One school of thought claims that traditional Chinese architecture emphasizes space, whereas the West lays stress on the building itself - something Pauline dismisses as nonsense in today's world.

"Western architects, especially architects like myself, are absolutely spatially driven," he says. So China's strong heritage of architecture can sometimes act as a restraint. "PTW is much more interested in the abstractions of these 'Chinese' ideas rather than the literal application of Chinese roof forms or Chinese temple pagoda forms."

China State Construction International (Shenzhen) Design (CSCEC), Ove Arup (Australia) and PTW now talk happily of their collaboration on the Water Cube. "It's our common child," Chinese designer Zhao Xiaojun told state broadcaster CCTV earlier this month.

The results, however, were not achieved without teething problems for the international coalition of designers and engineers after they won the bid in early 2003. When the group began brainstorming for ideas on a swimming complex for the Games, they hit a wall - or a wave. The Australians were pushing for a water-themed silhouette but the Chinese wanted a flat roof to symbolize harmony, humility and calm.

"Differences soon divided the two sides, and it took us a long time to reach an agreement," Zhao said. They settled on a wave-shaped roof to meet the deadline. "But within a week of that we encountered a lot of problems."

There seemed to be an aesthetic imbalance between the two iconic venues of the Games: the Bird's Nest and the aquatics center. Fearful of upstaging the Bird's Nest, CSCEC asked PTW to go back to the drawing board and use a simpler, rectangular design - and the idea of the water bubbles was born.

Now the Water Cube is destined to live on, both in popular memory and as the epicenter of a new sporting community in northern Beijing.