"The Olympics were the trigger for the Chinese economic boom, which increased the opportunities for people in the architectural field and therefore made China the place to be for architects," says the 29-year-old, who came to Beijing in August 2006.

However, he plans to stick around to witness firsthand the changes of the post-Olympic period.

"I'm looking forward to seeing in which direction the architectural development turns after this period of massive construction," Colop-Morales says.

When Singaporean Kalyani Iyer was awarded a research fellowship last year, she says she could have chosen to use it anywhere in the world.

"I picked Beijing for a number of reasons, but the Olympics was one of them," the 25-year-old says.

However, she plans to stay another year after the Games are over.

If anything, she says she expects an influx of new expats after the Olympics, "who would come here to appreciate the new infrastructure, the new buildings, the new restaurants", built for the Games.

American Julian Herbstein, who came to Beijing four months ago to start his own business, agrees.

He says that the departure of foreigners, most of whom would be directly involved in Olympics-related work, would be a "blip".