The Center for Urban Community Design and the School of Architecture hosted the fourth annual Canstruction event last Friday.
Five teams of students and faculty competed in the two-hour competition and constructed buildings out of cans they had collected in the weeks prior.
In total, 800 cans were collected and donated to Camillus House, a non-profit organization that gives aid to the poor and homeless.
“This is just absolutely amazing and this is a great way for us to help out clients during Thanksgiving,” said Sam Gil, the vice president of marketing at Camillus House and ones of the judges for the competition. “We appreciate all the work that has been put in.”
The five participating teams were Miami WOLF and Studio 6 from the School of Architecture, the American Institute of Architecture Students, the School of Architecture staff and U Can Do It, a team from the College of Engineering.
The first team to finish was the College of Engineering, who rebuilt a flattened version of the Eiffel Tower.
“Thanks to the support of the civil engineers, we have collected more than 300 cans and can build a fantastic structure,” said graduate student Diana Arboleda, a member of U Can Do It.
Studio 6 replicated Burj Khalifa, the tallest building in the world, which is located in Dubai. The School of Architecture staff remade the Big Ben clock tower from 55 cans that they collected in less than three weeks.
“I see it as a way for our students to have fun while doing good,” said Sonia Chao, the director of the Center for Urban and Community Design, who was also a judge.
At the end of the competition, five prizes were awarded – first place, best use of labels, two honorable mentions and best structural ingenuity. Miami WOLF received first place.
“I think it’s interesting to see the dynamics and the innovations each team has,” said Francisco De Caso y Basalo, a professor at the College of Engineering and one of the judges. “The creativity involved is fantastic.”