Recycling Beauty and the Beauty of Recycling: Comparative Analysis of the Colossus of Constantine and the Tin Can Castle

Abstract

The subject of this investigation is two distinct projects in which a common critical method can be identified – recycling. The first project is the ‘Recycling Beauty’ exhibition, designed by Rem Koolhaas/OMA and curated by Salvatore Settis, Anna Anguissola, and Denise La Monica. It represents the third chapter in Fondazione Prada’s comprehensive study on the contemporaneity of ancient art, exploring the paradoxical and delicate relationship between fragments from the past and the cultural diversity of the contemporary world. On the other hand, this research encounters the latest design project arising from the enduring collaboration between Kosmos Architects and Château Chapiteau - the Tin Can Castle, known as the Château Chapiteau Refugee House. This paper primarily aims to investigate the recycling conceptions in two cases thoroughly and, afterwards, by employing the methodology of comparative analysis, examine their shared characteristics, differences, and specificities concerning contemporary architecture discourse.