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April 13, 202312th Annual Canstruction Helps Feed the Hungry
TALENTED TEAMS TRANSFORM CANNED FOOD INTO ART WITH COLOSSAL SCULPTURES ON DISPLAY AT CROSSGATES MALL
Celebrating Capital Region Canstruction: “New York State of Mind” Themed Display from April 18 – May 1, 2023
All cans, including those collected from visitors, are donated to The Food Pantries for the Capital District
At the 12th annual Capital Region Canstruction design/build competition, talented teams of architects, designers, builders, and engineers will join forces to create innovative and gravity-defying structures embodying the theme, “New York State of Mind!” The structures will be made entirely of canned food, instead of bricks, stone, glass, and other traditional building materials. Benefitting The Food Pantries for the Capital District, these structures will be on display at Crossgates from April 18, 2023 – May 1, 2023. This will be the first in-person competition since 2020 and the first time it is being hosted at Crossgates.
The 11 participating teams include AOW Associates with Envision Architects, Creighton Manning Engineering, CT Male Associates, CSArch, Hyman Hayes Associates, kW Mission Critical Engineering, Labella, MJ Engineering & Surveying, Mosaic Associates, Ryan Biggs Clark Davis Engineering & Surveying, and Stantec. An additional structure will be part of the exhibit and will be constructed by Girl Scouts from the Girl Scouts of Northeastern New York in support of Girls CAN Do, an annual program the scouts participate in that encourages not only STEM but service to their community. All “building materials” used in the displays were purchased from Price Chopper/Market 32, the presenting sponsor, and will be donated to The Food Pantries for the Capital District, a coalition of more than 65 food pantries in Albany, Rensselaer, Saratoga, and Schenectady Counties, at the end of Canstruction.
Visitors are encouraged to bring canned goods (tuna, beans, canned vegetables, soups/chilis, and fruit) to Crossgates Mall and participate in the Canstruction competition and food drive. Visitors can use their canned goods as ballots to vote for the winner of the People’s Choice award. A jury of designers, local business owners, and local dignitaries will also judge the structures. Awards include Best Original Design, Best Meal, Best Use of Labels, and Structural Ingenuity. Additional awards include Largest Cash Donation and Best Signage. Along with juried prizes, a People’s Choice Award will be bestowed on the structure that gains the most votes (most food donations) from visitors.
Jennifer Smith, Marketing Director at Crossgates said, “Crossgates is proud to host the Capital Region CANstruction event for the very first time. This is sure to be a fun experience for our guests, while also helping out a tremendous cause. We know that our faithful Crossgates shoppers love to give back. We’re truly honored and excited to be a part of this long-time Capital Region event and can’t wait to see the structures take shape within our center.”
“Our theme this year is New York State of Mind. Our state motto is Excelsior which means “Ever Upward.” The region is still feeling the fallout of the pandemic. This community-building event provides invaluable support to the food insecure in the Capital Region, while also showcasing the deep expertise and unlimited creativity of local design firms and contractors,” said Jill Shorter, Capital Region Canstruction President and Director of Marketing at Ryan Biggs Clark Davis. “Our board of directors has worked tirelessly to secure a venue for this much needed event that was paused for two years because of the pandemic. We are excited to showcase our exhibit at Crossgates and believe this premier venue will expose our event and its cause to an entirely new audience. Our creative and passionate teams have created an inspiring edible art exhibit by implementing the engineering principles they use to design our most essential facilities and infrastructure. After two weeks, these colossal structures will be deCANstructed and thousands of canned food items will be donated back to the local community. We invite all visitors to Crossgates to bring canned goods to vote for People’s Choice to further increase the donation we provide to The Food Pantries because together we CAN make a difference.”
Natasha Pernicka, Executive Director of The Food Pantries for the Capital District said, “The Food Pantries is incredibly grateful for the support from the design community. Canstruction heightens awareness of the ever-present need to support those who are food insecure in our community, last year more than 69,000 people visited our food pantries and received food for more than 3.2 million meals. This event plays an important role in helping to feed the hungry in the Capital District. The impact of the food donated through Canstruction is more powerful than ever as we continue to see persistent need in our region.”
This year’s Canstruction is presented by Price Chopper/Market 32 and Crossgates Mall with Ryan Biggs Clark Davis Engineering & Surveying, Envision Architects, and C2 Design Group. Gold sponsors are Arnoff Moving, Storage & Rigging and Page/ Design. Silver Sponsors are Eastern Contractors Association, McLaren Engineering Group, and Tremco. Bronze Sponsors are CHA, Curtis Lumber, Pacelli & Associates, and Turner.
Since its inception in 2011, the Capital Region event has donated approximately over 825,000 pounds of food and raised more than $320,000 to help fight hunger. Capital Region Canstruction is part of the international program organized by the Society for Design Administration. For over 40 years, The Food Pantries for the Capital District has worked to mobilize resources in the community to alleviate hunger.
Canstruction events are held annually in over 250 cities around the world including North America, Australia, South America, Europe, and Asia. You can learn more about Capital Region Canstruction at: https://www.capregcans.com/
