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CANstructing for a good cause

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Teams of Toronto university students joined professional architecture, engineering, and design firms on Tuesday night at the annual event CANstruction to work towards a common goal: ending the need for food banks within the Greater Toronto Area. Firms across the GTA were allowed only the use of cans (and puns) as design materials to construct what resemble giant pictures from a children’s storybook. All canned goods will be donated to the Daily Bread Food Bank.

Toronto’s KPMB in partnership with Halsall Associates Ltd., took the prize for juror’s choice with their creation of YES BEE CAN, a natural setting involving, what else, a bee and creatively designed flowers using rice paper. U of T’s ArtSci OT9 left with the prize for best student team for their creation, LEGO Man, whom they artistically cut in half due to height restrictions. Other prize categories ranged from Best Use of Labels (Diamond and Schmitt Architects Inc. won for their design Rub-a-Dub-Dub) to Best Meal (won by Stantec for CANmunity Garden). Kendra Schank Smith, Chair of Architecture at Ryerson University, and Robert Ouellette of the National Post, among others, were at hand to present the awards to the winners.

Now in its 10th year, CanStruction is helping to feed the 80,000 people who use the Daily Bread Food Bank every month, and the competition continues to grow. This year, the event attracted 24 teams from across the city. Check out the CanSculptures for yourself in the lobby of one of the TD Centre towers.

See more photos after the jump.

photos by Sam Javanrouh

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5 comments

  1. There are two more excellent CANstruction pieces at Simcoe Place at 200 Front St West. One is in the front lobby and the other is in the atrium at the back of the building. Great work!

  5. As a Daily Bread Food Bank volunteer, I have to say it almost made me sad to have to take apart the structures. The creativity, time and effort put into these magnificent structures is appreciated even more when you’re up close and personal while taking them apart (and had a couple of cans fall on my noggin!) If I didn’t know all this fantastic food was going to Daily Bread Food Bank for a better use after Canstruction I would vote to leave them up. A fantastic effort was made by all.