The Clock House No. 2: From Imperial Clocks to Public Architecture

3 days ago
2 min read

Beijing-based Drawing Architecture Studio has created a remarkable installation as part of the 7th Shenzhen Bay Public Art Season in Shenzhen, China. The Clock House No. 2 , which can be seen until April 19, 2026, reinterprets historical automaton clocks, transforming them into an architectural structure.

In the past, automatic clocks gifted to emperors were synonymous with technical mastery, precise mechanics, and expensive craftsmanship. The Clock House No. 2, however, turns that tradition upside down. The structure is made from low-cost industrial components and both chimes and lights up every 15 minutes.

An architecture built with low-cost materials.

The structure consists of corrugated PVC panels, ventilation fans, lightning rods, wind-rotating bird repellents, plastic insulation fasteners, and LED strips. All are mass-produced, online-supplied, and economical materials.

The architects make the material's own texture and rhythm visible by cutting and reassembling the corrugated panels. Ventilation fans mark the position of the clock face, while lightning rods and bird repellents act as decorations. LED strips shine through the gaps in the facade, carrying the building's internal rhythm to the outside.

Here, the potential of the everyday and ordinary is highlighted, rather than the emphasis on expensive craftsmanship.

The watch as a cultural exchange object.

Automaton clocks reached China during the Ming and Qing dynasties through Western missionaries. Known as “Zì Míng Zhōng,” meaning “self-ticking clock,” these mechanical devices first entered the imperial court as diplomatic gifts and then spread into daily life.

The Guangdong region – historically known as Canton – was a vital maritime trade gateway during the Qing dynasty. Clocks from Europe reached China via these routes. Drawing Architecture Studio positions the project precisely at this intersection: mechanical time, architecture, and trade history.

From object to structure: Scale shifting

The project also references Aldo Rossi's thoughts on architecture and everyday objects. According to Rossi, ordinary objects accumulate "forms of memory" through repetitive use. The boundary between the object within the home and the architectural structure is not as clear-cut as we might think.

The Clock House No. 2 expands on this idea, transforming the clock object into a structure and the structure into a clock. While preserving the silhouette of the mantelpiece clock, it expands it to a habitable scale. In this way, the scale difference between furniture and facade, between object and building, becomes blurred.

A contemporary interpretation of ritual time.

There is no complex mechanical system inside the building. However, an automatic musical bell rings every 15 minutes, and LED lights illuminate the structure in different colors. The ceremonial nature of traditional automaton clocks is transformed here into an electrical rhythm.

This symbolic reversal juxtaposes imperial craftsmanship with contemporary industrial standardization. The project questions how modes of production and consumer culture shape architectural form, aesthetic preferences, and material understanding.

Drawing Architecture Studio proposes low-cost architecture as a tool for rethinking the concepts of memory, ornamentation, and time in today's context.