Mu worked with other volunteers to carry steel joists, reinforcement bars and bags of cement for the project in rural Hebei.

The experience provided a valuable lesson in how to turn abstract ideas into brick-and-mortar buildings. He realized the beauty of working the soil for the foundation and turning architectural drawings into something, well, concrete.

"It suddenly dawned on me what architecture is and what architecture I want to do," Mu says.

After graduation, Mu went to work at architectural firms in Spain and Norway to enhance his talent and to gain valuable experience in cultures different from his own. The European experience gave him a taste of nature.

He enjoyed living in a wood cabin, nestled by the sea, in Norway. "Seagulls flapped around before my window, waking me up every morning."

He also got insights into human interaction with nature from an unlikely source.

"All Norwegian kindergartens, even in the depths of winter, have their lunch break outdoors," Mu says. "They value the formative powers of the natural environment, and do not fear the cold or heat."