Canned designs the norm as architects fight hunger

What do you call an eight-foot Greek temple made entirely of milk and cookies? It's not a dream - it's part of the second annual CANstruction event, presented by the American Institute of Architects Northern Nevada chapter and the Food Bank of Northern Nevada about 10 days ago.

With nothing more than canned food, ingenuity and luck, teams composed of design professionals, students and ordinary citizens created structural masterpieces out of canned food.

The results? Amazing visual pieces, like the Greek temple entitled "Got Milk?", a wishing well, a train, a truck, a lighthouse, the Reno arch or a 10-foot-long face.

CANstruction is a learning experience for everyone involved, and most important, it provides tons of food for Northern Nevada's hungry.

This year's take was a little over 13,000 cans."It's about a pound of food for a meal," says Janice Hoke, the Food Bank's communications manager. "It's a big boost."

While communities around the country hold CANstruction events,Northern Nevada's event is unique.

Elsewhere, design, engineering and construction professionals compete.

Here, they're joined by student teams from middle school through college-level.

Of this year's 12 teams, seven were composed of students.

This year's judges were Sparks Mayor Tony Armstrong;Wells Fargo Bank Senior Vice- President Mindy Elliott; Engineer Elise Fett, AIA; Kristin Walthers, KTVN Channel 2 anchor; Rebecca Rosenberg, curator of education for the Nevada Museum of Art; and art critic Forrest Hartman.

Howard Rosenberg of the University of Nevada, Reno emceed the event.

Judges chose winners in the following categories: Best Meal, Best Use of Labels, Structural Ingenuity and Jurors' Favorite (the best of show award).

There were two honorable mentions, and 2004 saw the event's first People's Choice award, the winner of which received a getaway spa package donated by the Atlantis Casino Resort Spa.

All winners, except the People's Choice,will go on to compete nationally.

But participants agree this isn't about winning.

It's about learning, and giving back to the community.

Richard Garcia, a student at the Academy for Career Education, says he learned a lot while helping build his team's wishing well structure.

At ACE, he's specializing in gradesetting, heavy equipment operation and surveying.

"This helps because now I'm able to understand all the plans and how a structure works,"Garcia says.

With only three days to plan,ACE students relied on help from architect Larry Macias.

"It gives you such a warm, fuzzy feeling to donate food to the people that need it," says Duffy Wright of the student chapter of AIA.

"What's more rewarding than that?" His team created "Got Milk?"with the help of architect Mark Johnson.

The student interns of Sierra Pacific Power designed a bucket truck,"because we figured it was our hardest idea," says David Wheeler, intern.

They used 2,088 cans, and had no help from an architect.

"I've learned that planning is a great tool," says Wheeler.

"A large amount of our time was spent planning it, so building it was very easy, just placing cans."

Sierra Pacific's team members paid for their own cans, but other groups had help from several local sponsors, and the generously donated 15 percent discount from Albertson's.

Sponsors also donated building supplies or necessary event materials.

It was truly a community effort.

"It involves an awful lot of thought," says AIANN Executive Director Joan Jeffers.

"And you'll never look at food the same way again."

2004 CANstruction Winners:

* Best Meal: Blakely-Johnson Ghusn, Inc., for "The Face of Hunger"

* Best Use of Labels: Mendive Middle School for "Light Bright"

* Structural Ingenuity: AIA student chapter, Team 1 for "Got Milk?"

* Jurors' Favorite: Sierra Pacific Power Co.

for "Can-Do Bucket Truck" * People's Choice: "Got Milk?"