An architect found that the amazing form of an iconic Beijing building shaped her own career after spending more than a decade as project manager for the CCTV Headquarters, she tells Sun Yuanqing.

The snow was falling thick and fast - by noon, about half a meter had accumulated on the ground. Yao Dongmei was packing to catch a flight from New York to Rotterdam that afternoon, but she knew it would be delayed.

"I sensed that the heavy snow was an omen for the heavy workload ahead," Yao says, recalling the day-Feb 17, 2003-a turning point in her career.