The 2nd Annual “Canstruction®” project announces the results of the design/build competition on display this past weekend at the West Michigan Home & Garden Show in Grand Rapids.

Seven teams of area architecture, engineering, and design firms, as well as design students, built incredible 10’ x 10’ x 8’ canned food sculptures to help raise awareness of hunger in our community. 

More than 11,250 canned goods, over $279 and 83 bottles of new, unopened laundry detergent donations were delivered Monday, March 8 to The Salvation Army’s Booth Family Services, a member of the ACCESS Pantry Network.

The 2010 Canstruction winners are:

• The People’s Choice Award - “MaCANaw Bridge,” by AMDG Architects (Visitors of the Home & Garden Show voted for this award with a money donation of any amount.)
• Best Use of Labels – “The Face of Hunger, Africa,” by Paradigm Design, Inc., CD Barnes Associates, Inc. and Rhoades Engineering Corp.
• Best Meal – “MaCANaw Bridge,” by AMDG Architects
• Structural Ingenuity - “The Face of Hunger, Africa,” by Paradigm Design, Inc., CD Barnes Associates, Inc. and Rhoades Engineering Corp.
• Juror’s Favorite - “The Face of Hunger, Africa,” by Paradigm Design, Inc., CD Barnes Associates, Inc. and Rhoades Engineering Corp.
• Honorable Mention – “A Healthy Picnic Lunch with a Punch,” by Beta Design and Progressive AE
• Honorable Mention – “CANana,” (banana) by Kendall College of Art and Design students

Local winners (except The People’s Choice Award) will go on to compete internationally through submission of photography to a panel of jurors convened at the SDA/AIA Annual Convention in the spring.

This year’s teams were: AMDG Architects; Beta Design and Progressive AE; C2AE; Integrated Architecture; Izzy Design, sponsoring a student team from Kendall College of Art and Design; Paradigm Design, Inc., CD Barnes Associates, Inc. and Rhoades Engineering Corp.; and the Kendall College of Art and Design student competition winner.

The 2nd annual Canstruction competition is co-sponsored by Kendall College of Art and Design of Ferris State University and the law firm of Miller Canfield, supported by the International Interior Design Association Michigan Chapter, Kentwood Office Furniture and endorsed by the Grand Valley Chapter of The American Institute of Architects and The Society for Design Administration.

Nationally organized, Canstruction is a charity committed to ending hunger. In 2010, 32 cities will participate. Canstruction in Grand Rapids is a student-driven design competition in the form of sculptural art led by a Kendall senior student, Interior Design major, Emily Davison. For more information, and photos of structures, visit www.canstruction.org. Click on participating cities/Grand Rapids.

As a part of Ferris State University, Kendall College of Art and Design offers programs that prepare the college's graduates for professional lives as artists and designers. Kendall's undergraduate programs include art education, art history, digital media, fine arts, furniture design, graphic design, illustration, industrial design, interior design, metals/jewelry, painting, photography, and sculpture and functional art. Kendall also offers the MFA in Fine Arts and the MBA with a Concentration in Design and Innovation Management. Kendall is an active community partner and annually provides over 2,000 children and adults the opportunity to pursue courses in art and design through a richly varied continuing studies program. Visit Kendall on the web at www.kcad.edu.

The law firm of Miller Canfield offers businesses, governments, nonprofits, individuals and families a broad array of integrated legal and business services in over 55 areas. With Michigan roots for 158 years—including 25+ years in West Michigan—and a global reach for two decades, the firm has more than 370 lawyers throughout offices in the U.S., Canada, Mexico, Poland and China. For more information, visit www.millercanfield.com.

The Salvation Army, an evangelical part of the universal Christian church, has been supporting those in need in His name without discrimination since 1865. Nearly 33 million Americans receive assistance from The Salvation Army each year through the broadest array of social services that range from providing food for the hungry, relief for disaster victims, assistance for the disabled, outreach to the elderly and ill, clothing and shelter to the homeless and opportunities for underprivileged children. About 83 cents of every dollar raised is used to support those services in nearly 9,000 communities nationwide. For more information, go to www.salvationarmyusa.org.