Dumbo Structure Wins AIA Phoenix Metro People’s Choice Award

(MESA, Ariz.) — The canned structure inspired by Dumbo, and built by DWL Architects + Planners and Mortenson Construction, won the AIA Phoenix Metro People’s Choice Award in the 2010 Canstruction® competition, one of the largest single-event canned food donations annually for St. Mary’s Food Bank Alliance.  Nearly 600 votes were cast for the award while the structures were on exhibition Feb. 20 to 27 at Fiesta Mall in Mesa, Ariz.

“No more hunger? When I see elephants fly…” is the official title of the structure, which was also honored by jurors with the Structural Ingenuity award at an awards mixer on Feb. 24.  Dumbo will compete in the national Canstruction awards competition via a pictorial slideshow because of its local Structural Ingenuity award.

The structure contains approximately 5,000 cans of food, including sweet peas, sliced new potatoes, tomato sauce, pearl barley in brine, salsa de Chile fresco and spaghetti rings in tomato sauce.  The team began building at about 9 p.m. on Feb. 19 and worked into the early morning hours to complete the structure.

Approximately 33,000 pounds of food were donated to St. Mary’s Food Bank Alliance, which will provide nearly an equivalent number of meals to Valley residents in need.  Eight teams, comprised of architects, engineers and contractors, competed in the 2010 Canstruction design/build competition.

Published on behalf of Phoenix Canstruction
The 4^th Annual Canstruction® event is hosted by the Society for Marketing Professional Services Arizona chapter, under the auspices of the Society for Design Administration (SDA).  Major event sponsors are AIA Phoenix Metro, Fresh & Easy, Westcor and Thomas Reprographics.  Visit www.phoenixcanstruction.org/ for more details.

Canstruction® (www.canstruction.org) is a design/build competition showcasing the talents of design and construction industry professionals and students they mentor. At events held around the world, teams are given just 12 hours to defy expectations, logic, and gravity as they build fantastic sculptures from thousands of cans of food. Driven by the knowledge that their structures will change lives – by lifting the spirits of those in need, by raising public awareness, and most importantly, by filling the shelves of local food banks – dedicated volunteers work tirelessly to bring their creations to life. The following day, the super-sized masterpieces are judged in a variety of categories as these unconventional art exhibits are opened to the public, the cost of admission – just one can of food.

St. Mary’s Food Bank Alliance (www.FirstFoodBank.org), the world’s first food bank, is a non-sectarian, nonprofit organization that alleviates hunger by efficiently gathering and distributing food to 534 agencies at 700 locations that serve the hungry.  Serving 13 of Arizona’s 15 counties, the organization is committed to volunteerism, building community relationships, and improving the quality of life for Arizonans in need. In fiscal year 2008-09, the Food Bank distributed more than 67 million pounds of food to families and individuals, provided enough food for more than 300,000 meals every day, and garnered more than 360,000 volunteer service hours.

The Society for Marketing Professional Services Arizona chapter (www.smpsarizona.org) was founded in 1983 and has grown to include more than 200 marketing professionals from the architecture, engineering and construction industry.  It is the only organization state-wide that gives A/E/C marketing professionals access to their collaborations, competitors and clients.  SMPS membership offers professional development seminars, programs on industry trends, panel discussions, networking events and a mentoring program.

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