Stomping out hunger, one can at a time.
– Canstruction Mission Statement
Barton Associates’ State College office won the People’s Choice award for their design entry, CAN-Bert, at the 1st Annual Canstruction State College Competition, held at the Nittany Mall in State College, PA. Canstruction is a global, not-for-profit anti-hunger project founded by the Society for Design Administration (SDA), an affiliate of the American Institute of Architects (AIA).
The Barton canstructure, which also won awards for Best Meal and Best Use of Labels, was a take on the 1980s video game character Q*bert. The design included over 2,880 can goods including over five different kinds of beans as well as tuna, tomatoes, oranges and more. The canstructure featured not only a Can-Bert and Coily the snake made of cans, but also the State College Food Bank’s logo and green and yellow colors.
The team utilized Building Information Modeling (BIM) design software, including Revit, to create the design, maintain an accurate schedule of cans needed, and associated costs. The months of planning and organization allowed for a smooth build day. “From a technical standpoint we were excited about it,” said Ken McLain, the team captain. “But then as we were doing it more, I realized not just the fun of doing the structure but why are we doing it.”
WPSU SciTech featured a segment on the event that originally aired on May 1st and can also be viewed below. The Canstruction State College competition raised more than $12,500 for the State College Food Bank. Carol Pioli, the food bank’s executive director, said the 13,164 cans donated translates to more than 9,000 meals for those in need. If you would like to learn more about Canstruction or are interested in starting one in your area, please feel free to contact Lisa at lhayes@hl-architects.com.