Engineers Shine in Toronto’s 2019 ‘CANstruction’ Competition
May 17, 2019
By
CCE
The Best Original Design this year was awarded to the team of WSP and Architecture49 for their MÖBIUS structure.
Best Original Design – awarded to WSP and Architecture49 for their Möbius design.
The lobby of the TD Centre on Bay Street in downtown Toronto was full of beans in mid-May, as teams of professional engineers, designers, architects and students took part in Toronto’s 20th Annual Canstruction Toronto Competition.
The Best Original Design this year was awarded to the team of WSP and Architecture49 for their MÖBIUS structure. An honourable mention went to a portrait of Vincent Van Gogh made out of canned beans, constructed by Gensler and called ‘Hunger CAN “Gogh”. There were 25 structures in total on display.
In all 68,785 pounds of donated non-perishable food were sculpted into artful structures. The structures were on display for a week before being disassembled and donated to Daily Bread Food Bank, the city’s largest distributor of food to food banks and meal programs.
“Canstruction is an engaging and creative way for the design and construction community to work together in support of Daily Bread Food Bank,” says Christina Facey, co-chair of Canstruction Toronto. “More importantly, this friendly competition shines a spotlight on the fact that hunger is a reality for many people right here in our very own city.”
The Canstruction competition recognizes a variety of factors, not just design aesthetics. The “Best Use of Labels” award focuses on creative graphic possibilities, the “Best Meal” award considers the variety and quality of the food donated, and “Structural Ingenuity” considers the complexity of the design.
Canstruction Toronto also features a “People’s Choice Award”, encouraging those passing through the TD Towers and others online to vote by liking a picture of their favourite sculpture on Facebook through the Canstruction Toronto page. https://www.facebook.com/canstructionTO .
The Canstruction Toronto build took place from 6 p.m. on May 13th to 1 a.m. on May 14th .
The completed “Canstructures” were judged by a jury on May 14th and winners were announced at an evening reception held at the nearby Design Exchange.
Canstruction Toronto 2019 winning “Canstructures”:
Best Original Design — WSP and Architecture49
- Project: MÖBIUS
CANadian Moose
Structural Ingenuity — EllisDon & Zeilder Partnership Architects
- Project: CANadian Moose
Best use of labels – RJC Engineers
Best Use of Labels — RJC Engineers
- Project: A Balanced Lunch Tray Keeps Hunger at Bay
Many Cans Make Light Work – Aercoustics Engineering
Best Meal — Aercoustics Engineering Ltd.
- Project: Many Cans Make Light Work
Honourable Mention — Gensler
- Project: Hunger CAN “Gogh”
Since the event started in Toronto in 1999, Canstruction ® Toronto has donated over one million pounds of food to Daily Bread Food Bank.
Other participants this year included: Adamson Associates; Candevcon Limited; DIALOG + Govan Brown & Associates Limited; Diamond Schmitt Architects Inc.; Entuitive & PCL; Eventscape, Inc.; GHD Limited; GM BluePlan Engineering Limited; IBI Group; Jacobs; LEA Consulting Ltd. + Kasian Architecture Interior Design and Planning; Maple Reinders Constructors Ltd. / Blackwell Structural Engineers / Sweeny &Co Architects Inc./Chartwell Retirement Residences; Morrison Hershfield Ltd.; Mott MacDonald Canada Inc.; Pomerleau Inc.; Quadrangle; RPL Architects with Quinn Dressel Associates; Ryerson University – Department of Architectural Science; Turner Fleischer Architects Inc.; and WZMH Architects.
