Canstruction Raises Nearly 12,000 Cans of Food for Connecticut Food Banks

25/May/16 / 14:50
Student and Architect Teams Compete in International Food-Raising Event

 

WALLINGFORD, CONN., May 25, 2016 – Teams from five Connecticut schools joined with architects from five firms to design and build structures from nonperishable food items for Canstruction, a competition that is aimed at raising awareness of the problem of hunger and raising food for the hungry.

 

While most Canstruction competition participants around the world are architecture and design firms, the Connecticut competition engages schools and students. This year’s event featured students ranging from grade 4 through high school seniors.

 

The teams, from schools in Stamford, Hartford, Glastonbury and Windsor Locks, spent Thursday, May 12, building their structures from items they purchased prior to the competition. Their purchases were determined by design concepts the teams arrived at with their architect partners. Each design employed visual and thematic cues to share a message about the importance of providing access to nutritious food for people in need. At the end of a four-hour build time, the projects were judged by a team from event sponsor the Connecticut Chapter of the American Institute of Architects (AIA Connecticut).

 

The competing teams were:

Architecture Firm School
Perkins Eastman, Stamford King School, Stamford
CPG Architects, Stamford Academy of Information Technology and Engineering, Stamford
Crosskey Architects, Hartford Our Piece of the Pie (OPP), Hartford
JCJ Architecture, Hartford Gideon Wells School, Glastonbury
The S/L/A/M Collaborative, Glastonbury South Elementary School, Windsor Locks

 

Awards were given in the following categories (click on photos to view larger images):

Photo credit: Photography donated by Criscara Jewelry | http://criscara.com

 

Award School and Architect Firm Cans Used Theme  
Best Use of Labels King School and Perkins Eastman 3,483 Pac-Man Can bEAT Hunger  Pac-Man CAN bEAT Hunger
Most Cans King School and Perkins Eastman 3,483 Pac-Man Can bEAT Hunger  Pac-Man CAN bEAT Hunger
Best Meal Academy of Information Technology and Engineering and CPG Architects 2,564 The Food “Bank” Food BankFood Bank
Most Creative Our Piece of the Pie (OPP) and Crosskey Architects 2,708 One Big Piece of Pie  Our Piece of the PieOur Piece of the Pie
Juror’s Favorite Gideon Welles School and JCJ Architecture 1,368 Use the Force Against Hunger  Use the Force Against HungerUse The Force Against Hunger
Structural Ingenuity South Elementary School and S/L/A/M Collaborative 1,576  End Hunger We CanEnd Hunger We Can

photography donated by Criscara Jewelry http://criscara.com

 

The structure awards reflect the project’s goals of raising awareness about hunger and reflecting the goal of building effective and compelling designs, said Connecticut Food Bank Spokesperson Paul Shipman. “The Academy of Information Technology and Engineering and CPG Architects were awarded best meal because the products used in their design constituted the best variety of vegetables, proteins and fruits. Most creative was awarded to Crosskey Architects and Our Piece of the Pie, a youth entrepreneurship program, which used its pie slice logo to symbolize the importance of sharing food with people in need.”

 

Shipman said the Connecticut Food Bank was excited to host the event this year. “We have participated for several years, but we have never been able to host the event, due to space considerations. Our new facility permits us to do this and to actively engage with the community in many ways.”

 

“AIA Connecticut is proud to have had the opportunity to sponsor and organize this fun, community based event for the sixteenth year,” said AIA Connecticut CEO Diane Jones. “This year was especially rewarding as we partnered directly with the Connecticut Food Bank and enjoyed the advantages and comfort of their new space in Wallingford,” Jones added, noting that the food bank’s new headquarters and distribution center was designed by AIA Connecticut member Philip Clark, AIA, and constructed by his firm, Claris Construction.

 

“Canstruction is one of the most rewarding programs AIA Connecticut sponsors each year. Students learn about architecture and become actively engaged in community outreach and voluntary service,” Jones said.

 

Canstruction was founded in 1992 by the Society for Design Administration. Canstruction has grown to become one of the largest and most consistent canned food contributors to food banks in the world. Canstruction events have been held in over 150 cities worldwide donating nearly 40 million pounds of food to feed the hungry. For more information, visit www.canstruction.org.

 

About the Connecticut Food Bank:

The Connecticut Food Bank is the state’s non-profit leader in the fight against hunger and the largest provider of charitably donated food. The Connecticut Food Bank partnered with the food industry, food growers, donors and volunteers to provide enough food last year to prepare more than 18.5 million meals. We distribute that food through a network of community based programs to more than 300,000 people across six Connecticut counties. Visit us on the web at www.ctfoodbank.org, like us on Facebook and follow @CTFoodBank on Twitter and Instagram.

 

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