CANstruction
2012 Theme – “Back to School!”
Displays and Award Ceremony at Livingston Mall
Friday, September 21
Another successful year for CANstruction, our annual charitable event to benefit the hungry. Architects, engineers, and students of these professions are encouraged to participate in this design-build competition where giant structures are made entirely out of canned food. All cans are then donated to the Community FoodBank of NJ.
This year, over $4,000 from the AIA and approximately 26,000 cans of food are being donated. The Community FoodBank distributes 37 million pounds of food and groceries a year, ultimately serving 1,500 non-profit programs including 436 programs served by its Partner Distribution Organizations (PDOs). Through their combined efforts, they assist 900,000 low-income people in 18 of New Jersey’s 21 counties.
Five teams participated this year. Of course, the efforts to execute the team structures extend far beyond just the teams: there are sponsors, volunteers, tremendous amounts of support, talent,
and coordination to make it all work.
Our generous sponsors include AIA New Jersey and Goya. Without their contributions, we would have never been able to pull this event together, and in turn give so much to those who need it most.
Thanks also to Skanska USA Building for their contributions to the event.
The competition was judged by the Deputy Mayor of Livingston, Rudy Fernandez, Past President of the Livingston Chamber of Commerce & Direct Sales Manager of Valley National Bank, Aileen Boyle, AIA New Jersey President, Laurence Parisi, AIA, and Director of Food Sourcing for the Community Food Bank of New Jersey, Tim Vogel.
Build Day was September 20, and the awards and judging were September 21. A special thanks goes to NJ 101.5, who came out on Build Day and energized the public and the teams during their building efforts.
The structures remained on display at the Livingston Mall in Livingston, NJ through September 30.
Congratulations to all teams involved:
Gensler Morristown – “Outside the Box” (2012 Best Meal award recipient)
Milrose Consultants – “Food for Thought” (2012 Honorable Mention award recipient)
NK Architects – “Schoolhouse Rocks! Just a Bill…to Fight Hunger” (2012 Best Use of Labels award recipient)
Solutions Architecture – ‘School the Mind – Feed the Body” (2012 Structural Ingenuity award recipient & 2012 People’s Choice award recipient)
USA Architects, Planners & Interior Designers – “Feed your MIND” (2012 Juror’s Choice award recipient)
This event was a great success as we were able to donate so much to those in need. We hope next year others can join in to enable us to give even more.
It starts with one can, to feed the hungry, to lift the spirit, to change the world. Canstruction is a charity committed to ending hunger, using “one can” as a catalyst for change. Every month, over 500,000 New Jerseyans access hunger reflief programs supported by the Community Food Bank of NJ. New Jersey’s design/build competition puts a visual spotlight on hunger while showcasing the state’s best and brightest designers. Think you have what it takes to design and build a structure entirely out of canned food? Enter today! Get creative and help!
For additional information: www.canstruction.org
Click HERE for the Community Food Bank.
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