The annual charity event and exhibition, now in its 22nd year, teams up with the building industry once again to raise hunger awareness and feed more than 60,000 people in Massachusetts.
October 8 through October 27, 2017
Canstruction is a charity event and exhibition where teams of architects, designers, engineers, and contractors compete in magical feats of engineering to create whimsical sculptures made out of canned goods and other nonperishable food items—without the use of glue or other adhesives. Now in its 22nd year, Canstruction raises hunger awareness in Massachusetts by challenging 29 Boston design teams to transform thousands of nonperishable food into larger-than-life masterpieces at BSA Space and in the Atlantic Wharf lobby at 280 Congress Street, Boston. The participating teams will compete for top honors in categories including Best Use of Labels, Best Meal, Structural Ingenuity, Most Cans, and Jurors’ Favorite, among others. Members of the public will have the opportunity to vote online for their favorite works through the Canstruction Boston Facebook page at facebook.com/CanstructionBoston from Sunday, October 8, until 1:00 pm on Wednesday, October 11. After the sculptures are dismantled, all of the canned goods supplied by the teams will be donated to the Merrimack Valley Food Bank in Lowell, Massachusetts with the help of drivers and trucks provided by Hannaford Supermarkets.
This year’s theme is “fairy tales, folklore, and mythical creatures”. The colossal sculptures will be on display from Sunday, October 8, through Friday, October 27. Admission is free and kid friendly. Suggested donation: one can or other nonperishable item of food per person (such as tuna, beans, peanut butter, and canned vegetables).
Says BSA Foundation chair Laura Wernick FAIA:
“The BSA Foundation is proud to support this exhibition and event at a time when inequity is broadening in the States and many families in Massachusetts are still experiencing food insecurity.”
The Merrimack Valley Food Bank in Lowell, serves 70,000 children and adults monthly in Massachusetts and Southern New Hampshire, most of whom cannot confidently predict where their next meal is coming from. For more than two decades, the design community in Boston has united through a creative medium that provides canned food for charities fighting hunger in in our areas. In 2016, Canstruction Boston donated 88,393 pounds of food from the participating 27 teams, which is the equivalent of more than 68,000 meal servings – or providing one and half meals to every resident in East Boston. In the past 21 years, Canstruction Boston has collected more than 879,000 pounds of food, which has provided over 729,750 meals to those in the Greater Boston and surrounding areas.
A total of 29 teams are taking part in this year’s edition.
Participating firms:
Ann Beha Architects + Thornton Tomasetti (Joint Venture)
Architectural Resources Group
Arrowstreet
CannonDesign
CBT Architects
CUBE 3 Studio
EYP Architecture & Engineering
Gensler + ARUP (Joint Venture)
Goody Clancy
Harriman
Harrison French & Associates
HMFH Architects
Integrated Design Group
L.A. Fuess Partners
Nitsch Engineering
Payette
Prellwitz Chillinski Associates
Phase Zero Design
Sasaki Associates
Simpson Gumpertz & Heger
Silman
SMRT Architects & Engineers + Columbia Construction (Joint Venture)
Stantec
Steffian Bradley Architects
Studio Troika
Symmes Maini & McKee Associates
Wessling Architects
Wilson Butler Architects + Northeastern Chi Epsilon Chapter (Joint Venture)
WSP / Parsons Brinkerhoff
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BSA Space
BSA Space, Boston’s leading cultural institution for architecture and design, is home to the Boston Society of Architects/AIA (BSA) and the BSA Foundation. The BSA is one of the oldest chapters of the American Institute of Architects. The BSA Foundation, a charitable organization, supports activities that illuminate the ways that design improves the quality of our lives. All exhibitions at BSA Space are supported by the BSA Foundation. BSA Space is open Monday through Friday from 10:00 am–6:00 pm, and on weekends and holidays from 10:00 am–5:00 pm. Admission is free and open to the public. For more information visit architects.org/bsaspace
Canstruction
Canstruction, hosted by BSA Space, is an international, trademarked, design-build competition. Teams of architects, engineers, construction firms, and students compete to design and build giant structures made entirely from cans of food. Since its inception, more than 10 million pounds of food have been donated to aid in the fight against hunger. Thousands of hungry people are fed wherever a Canstruction competition is held. For additional information, visit canstruction-boston.org.
The Merrimack Valley Food Bank
The Merrimack Valley Food Bank is a community-supported 501c-3 nonprofit organization that provides nutritious food and personal-care items to emergency feeding programs serving the low-income, homeless, and hungry population. It is one of only four food banks in Massachusetts that serves food pantries, shelters, soup kitchens, and day and residential programs that, in turn, serve individuals and families. For more information, visit mvfb.org.
Hannaford Supermarkets
Hannaford Supermarkets, based in Scarborough, Maine, operates over 180 stores and employs more than 27,000 associates. Their stores offer good prices and value; top-quality fresh foods supported by daily deliveries; and friendly, efficient service. At Hannaford, the commitment to local communities and businesses is a part of who they are. In their stores, you’ll find produce and many great products that come from neighborhood farms and businesses. They call this staying Close to Home. Not only does Close to Home help them discover new local products, it allows them to drive shorter distances, reducing emissions—and contributing to a healthier planet.
Autodesk
Autodesk makes software for people who make things. If you’ve ever driven a high-performance car, admired a towering skyscraper, used a smartphone, watched a great film chances are you’ve experienced what millions of Autodesk customers are doing with our software. Canstruction Boston teams rely heavily on Autodesk software products to design, plan, calculate/quantify and execute their amazing can sculptures. Learn more at http://www.autodesk.com/
Social Media
Sign up to the BSA social-media channels:
twitter.com/BSAAIA #BSASpace
https://www.facebook.com/CanstructionBoston
#onecan #canstruction #canbos
