November 17, 2008

RICHARD LAUTENS

Halsall Associates Ltd. and Kuwabara Payne McKenna Blumberg Architects beat out 23 other entries to take the top award at the 10th annual Canstruction competition.

‘YES BEE CAN’ wins jurors’ favourite award at Canstruction 2008

PATRICIA WILLIAMS

staff writer

A giant honey bee positioned on a trillium in a field of clover won over jurors in the 10th annual Canstruction competition.

Created by Halsall Associates Ltd. and Kuwabara Payne McKenna Blumberg (KPMB) Architects, the YES BEE CAN structure features a six-foot-long insect constructed primarily of canned tuna.

The field of clover was made of canned sweet peas and green tea packages. A variety of canned soups was also incorporated into the design.

“The world has witnessed the strange phenomenon of the disappearing bee population, which is leaving crops at risk and threatening the food supply,” the Halsall/KPMB team said in its submission.

“These under-appreciated workers pollinate 80 per cent of flowering crops, including many fruits, vegetables and nuts. The disappearing bee reminds us of how interconnected we all are.

“Unfortunately, how we can help the honey bee remains largely a mystery that scientists are trying to solve.

“How to help the hungry, however, is not a mystery. We can all BEE part of the solution to solve hunger in our community.”

YES BEE CAN beat out 23 other submissions to win the jurors’ favourite award in Canstruction 2008.

Teams from design, engineering and architectural firms build structures entirely out of canned and packaged food to benefit the Daily Bread Food Bank.

This year, just under 77,000 pounds of food will be donated to the food bank after the installations are dismantled.

Also in the winners’ circle this year were the following structures:

The Venetian CANal: Making Hunger Gone-dola by BA Consulting Group Ltd. (Structural Ingenuity). A total of 8,000 cans of food weighing almost four tons was used to depict a classic Venetian canal scene. The focal point is an eight-foot-long black and gold gondola constructed out of more than 1,000 cans of ham and sardines. A six-foot-high backdrop of typical canal-side buildings was constructed using a variety of colourful cans including soups, beans and meats. The canal was spanned with a five-foot-high, double-arched bridge made from more than 2,000 cans of tuna. Finishing touches included a gondolier’s hat, a fully loaded clothesline and cans of fish “floating” in the water of the canal.

RICHARD LAUTENS

Rub-a-Dub-Dub, Diamond + Schmitt Architects Inc. (Best Use of Labels).

Rub-a-Dub-Dub by Diamond + Schmitt Architects Inc. (Best Use of Labels). The structure depicts a mother duck with two baby ducks sitting in a tub “trying to forget how hungry they are while playing in the water.” In all, 2,000 cans of baby formula, 3,400 cans of tuna and 800 cans of herring were used. The structure was inspired by the fact that the lion’s share of single-parent families using food banks are headed by women.

RICHARD LAUTENS

CANmunity Garden by Stantec (Best Meal).

CANmunity Garden by Stantec. (Best meal). The structure consists of a 10-foot by 10-foot square garden plot filed with oversized carrots, corn and tomatoes. Each of the vegetables is built with cans of its own produce. The intent was to demonstrate what can be grown in a home garden, promoting an active and healthy lifestyle. Jurors were impressed by the commitment to growing local produce.

RICHARD LAUTENS

CANman by ARK/Petroff. (Honourable Mention).

Honourable mentions went to two entries: CANman by ARK/Petroff, which depicted the tin man from the Wizard of Oz and made reference to the traditional 10th anniversary gift of tin; and Hunger...Don’t Lose the Forest for the Trees by Turner Fleischer Architects Inc. That structure includes five trees and various forest creatures. The message was to step back from looking at things too closely and instead focus on the big picture.

RICHARD LAUTENS

Hunger...Don’t Lose the Forest for the Trees, Turner Fleischer Architects Inc. (Honourable mention).

In the student competition, the ArtSci 0T9 team from the University of Toronto won the jurors’ favourite award for its LEGO Man creation.

Canstruction is organized by the Society for Design Administration Canada and supported by Consulting Engineers of Ontario and the Design Exchange.

“When Canstruction Toronto first started in 1999, we had eight teams,” said Helen Kabriel, co-chair of the steering committee and a principal in Diamond + Schmitt. “Now we have 24.”

She said the variety of entries this year was “amazing.”

“We’re in Venice, we’re in the Easter islands, we’re in Oz, we’re in the bathtub, we’re in the garden. We play guitar, we wave the flag. The list goes on and on. In each instance, the symbolism, in some way, points back to the core message that no one should go hungry.”

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