NYC’s annual cans-for-a-cause competition dubbed Canstruction is returning for its 30th edition to Brookfield Place this week!
20 teams of architects, engineers, and contractors go up against each other in this annual design competition, building sculptures entirely out of canned foods. The massive sculptures are then displayed before a panel of judges tasked with choosing winners in the following categories:
- Best Original Design
- Best Use of Labels
- Structural Ingenuity
- Best Meal
- Plus two honorable mentions
The public can also vote for their favorite sculpture now through Monday, November 14, awarding the winning sculpture with the People’s Choice Award. Sculptures range from a bodega cat and a hot air balloon to a Black Panther-inspired piece. You can place your vote here.
Once the competition comes to an end, each can will be donated to City Harvest, New York’s first and largest food rescue organization that’s been helping to feed millions of New Yorkers struggling to put meals on their tables for the last 40 years–an issue that’s always important to address, especially during the holiday season.
Since assisting in the start the food rescue movement back in 1982, City Harvest has rescued and delivered over 1 billion pounds of food that would have otherwise gone to waste to help feed the more than 1.5 million New Yorkers in need. If you’d like to make your own personal donation to City Harvest, you can do so here.
The 20 teams competing in this year’s competition include: AKF, Arup, BluEdge, CRTKL, DeSimone Consulting Engineers, EP Engineering, Gilsanz Murray Steficek LLP, HLW International LLP, HOK, KPFF Consulting Engineers, LERA Consulting Structural Engineers, Microdesk, Inc., NV5, Perkins Eastman, Severud Associates, Simpson Grumpertz & Heger, Stantec, Thornton Tomasetti, Urban Architectural Initiatives RA PC, and WSP USA.
And this year’s competition is definitely a special one for sure–it marks the 15th anniversary of Canstruction at Brookfield Place, the 30th annual Canstruction New York event, and the 40th anniversary of City Harvest!
You can head to Brookfield Place to see the sculptures for yourself now through Monday, November 14. Admission is free, but you can help out by donating some canned goods to the cause.