CANSTRUCTION® stocked the shelves of Second Harvest food banks across the country this past year with a record-breaking donation of 900,000 pounds of canned food generated by its fifth annual national competition. Thirty-seven cities in the United States and Canada sponsored local competitions and all of the food used in the structures was distributed to local emergency food programs to help feed those most in need.

Architects, engineers, contractors, and students competed to design and build colossal structures made of full containers of food. Participating teams in this season's competition created more than 300 entries. The public in turn is asked to participate in the events by donating cans of food as the price of admission to view these uncanny structures.

Certain themes, repeated across the country, struck familiar chords: bowling pins, tropical islands (perhaps in homage to the hit move Castaways), the Grinch Who Stole Christmas (giving a nod to the popular holiday film), the Sydney Olympics, and last year's presidential election. A spectacular array of elaborate cathedrals and castles spiraled skyward, competing for attention with a bevy of Formula One racecars. And creating the perfect bridge always offers a classic challenge.

On to Denver!
After winning their local competitions, the structures traveled—via slide photography—to compete nationally. They were judged on May 16 in Denver during the joint national conventions of the Society of Design Administration (SDA) and the AIA. The winners were announced at the May 19 SDA annual awards banquet.

The jury of prominent Denverites included:
• Eric P. Mott, past national president of SMPS and principal/CFO of Civitas, Inc
• Paul Bormann, AIA, M+O+A Architectural Partnership
• Patrick Soran, architect, photographer, and free lance travel writer
• Mimi Moore, art program director for the Denver International Airport
• Susan Wick, artist and gallery owner
• Wendy Moraskie, director of food and nutrition service, U.S. Dept. of Agriculture
• Michael Gilligan, resource manager, Food Bank of the Rockies.

Many favorites
The jury was so impressed by the high level of sophisticated design and construction techniques evident in the structures that they declared some runners-up in addition to the winners.

Jurors' Favorite: "Blending Our Cultures to Help Feed the World," EQE International, Inc., St. Louis
Structural Ingenuity: "Japanese Tea House," Nadaskay Kopelson Architects, Newark
Best Use of Labels: "Three Square Meals," Trivers Associates, St. Louis.
Best Meal: "'Reel'ly Big Recipe," Small Kane Architects, PA, Raleigh
Honorable Mention: "A-Nile-Ate Hunger," Butler Rogers Baskett Architects, PC, New York City
Honorable Mention: "OlympiCan," Jacobs, St. Louis

Runner-up, Jurors' Favorite: "The Tin Towers," PageSoutherlandPage, Austin
Runner-up, Structural Ingenuity: "Together We CAN End Hunger in a Roundabout Way," Smith Sinnett Associates, Raleigh
Runner-up, Best Use of Labels: "Caution Hunger Ahead," Walter P. Moore, Atlanta.
Runner-up, Honorable Mention: "It's a Small Pond," Fradkin & McAlpin Associates, New York City.

Local groups pitch in
Cities taking the CANSTRUCTION® challenge this past year included: Atlanta; Austin, Tex.: Boston: Charleston, S.C.; Chattanooga; Cincinnati; Columbia, Mo.; Dallas; Des Moines; Fort Myers, Fla.; Fort Worth; Gainesville, Fla.; Hagerstown, Md.; Hampton Roads, Va.; High Point, N.C.; Houston; Johnson City, Tenn.; Knoxville; Las Vegas; Madison, Wis.; Memphis; Nashville; Newark; New Orleans; New York City; Orlando; Portland, Ore.; Raleigh; Richmond, Va.; Salem, Ore.; Seattle; St. Louis; Tampa Bay, Fla.; Washington, D.C.; Worcester, Mass.; and Regina and Toronto, Canada.

Copyright 2001 The American Institute of Architects. All rights reserved.