Uniondale, NY The creativity and talent of the A/E/C community will be on full display again this October, during the 10th anniversary of Canstruction Long Island – the design/build competition that helps feed the hungry on Long Island.
Canstruction is an annual charity competition where architecture, engineering, design and construction firms, and students they mentor, test their mettle to see who can build the most astounding structure made entirely from full cans of food. At the close of the competition all of the food used in the structures is donated to local food banks to feed those most in need. This year’s recipient organizations will be the Interfaith Nutrition Network, Island Harvest Food Bank, Long Island Cares, Inc./The Harry Chapin Food Bank, and the NEST at NCC, a free-choice food pantry at Nassau Community College.
Recognized for their commitment to innovation, hunger relief and collaboration, Canstruction chapters have helped raise nearly 40 million pounds of food since 1992. Canstruction events are hosted in over 150 cities around the world including North America, Australia, South America, Europe and Asia.
The awe-inspiring structures, rising 10 feet tall and containing as many as 10,000 cans each, are created by stacking a variety of can sizes and shapes using the product labels to paint the picture of the “canstruction.” Structurally self-supporting, the only other materials allowed are 1/4” leveling materials, rubber bands and wire. Teams spend an average of five to six months perfecting their structure design, acquiring the cans needed, and test-building the structure prior to the start of the competition.
Architectural, engineering, design and construction firms are currently forming teams to compete in this truly unique event. Any firm in, or serving, the design and construction industries may participate, as well as schools whose students are studying these career fields - and the benefits realized are numerous. In addition to enabling participants to give back to their community, “this event is great for team-building within the firm,” said Susan Sassoon, senior associate and team captain for Rosenbaum Design Group. “And, staff members get the opportunity to develop skills that they don’t necessarily use every day at work.”
Nassau Community College assistant professor of interior design Susan Beganskas encourages participation in Canstruction because it “provides a wonderful opportunity for my design students to engage in a service learning project which showcases their design talents while providing opportunities for professional networking.”
Teams must have a minimum of five participants, and must include a licensed architect, engineer or design professional. The steering committee can assist teams in finding a licensed professional to partner with, if needed.
Teams are responsible for raising the funds needed to purchase the cans used to bring their structure to life. Teams request can donations from local stores, wholesalers or canned food manufacturers, and hold fundraisers and food drives to help acquire the necessary cans. To commemorate the 10th anniversary competition, the organizers of Canstruction Long Island are providing fundraising incentives to participating Teams to help them purchase additional cans for their structures.
After months of designing, planning and test-building, the teams have a mere 12 hours to build their structures at the start of the competition. Once built, the structures are judged by a panel of industry professionals, members of the media and local celebrities, and awards are given for Juror’s Favorite, Best Use of Labels, Structural Ingenuity, Best Meal and Most Cans. Among this year’s panel of jurors are Paul Anthony, general sales manager for Connoisseur Media Long Island and founder of the Long Island Comedy Festival, and Jaci Clement, CEO & executive director of the Fair Media Council, a New York metro area media watchdog organization.
The structures will be on exhibit at RXR Plaza. The exhibit is open every day, starting Friday, October 28th and continuing through Sunday, November 13th, from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. Admission is free, but attendees are encouraged to bring canned food donations to use to cast their votes for the winner of the People’s Choice Award. All local winners go on to compete internationally via photograph and are judged at the AIA/SDA national convention every spring.
In the past nine years, the participants of Canstruction Long Island have raised over $425,000 to purchase and donate 330,000 cans of food to feed the hungry on Long Island. Those donations represent 300,000 meals for our neighbors in need.
If you are interested in forming a team, or becoming a sponsor of the event, please contact [email protected] for more details. Additional information, and photos of the incredible structures from past events, can be found at www.canstructionli.org.
Sign up is quick, easy, & FREE.