Competing teams of architectural, engineering and construction firms will both showcase their talents and feed the hungry when the CANstruction ® 2012 competition and judging takes place March 31 through April 7 at its new home, the Phoenix Convention Center’s West Building, 1003 N. 3rd St.
Now in its sixth year, the CANstruction competition will again benefit St. Mary’s Food Bank Alliance and will be hosted by The Society for Marketing Professional Services (SMPS), Arizona chapter, under the auspices of the Society for Design Administration (SDA). The event has become one of the largest single-event donations for the Food Bank, with more than 56,000 cans used to construct incredibly imaginative designs last year, with all the non-perishable items used earmarked to help fill the more than 300,000 Emergency Food Boxes St. Mary’s distributes into the community annually.
The teams, which will include high school and college-aged design students working alongside some of the professional firms, have 12 hours to build their structures on the morning of Saturday, March 31 at the convention center. The completed structures will be on display for the public to see beginning March 31 and continuing through Friday April 6. During the exhibition, the public may cast their vote for the AIA Phoenix Metro People’s Choice Award and donate canned food to food drive boxes positioned around the exhibits.
Other awards will be given for Best Use of Labels, Best Meal, Structural Ingenuity and Jurors’ Favorite by a panel of judges. Winning teams will be publicly honored at an Awards & Networking Mixer on Tuesday, April 3. Winners from local competitions around the nation will compete in the national Canstruction competition through a slideshow photography submission.
“ CANstruction is a unique way to raise awareness and non-perishable items for the Food Bank,” said Terry Shannon, the St. Mary’s Food Bank Alliance President and CEO. “We are excited to be involved in the event for the sixth year and, as always, are very curious to see what kind of incredible structures will be created by these innovative minds.”
