At Brookfield Place in Lower Manhattan, NYC: Canstruction Returns With 22 Food-Can Sculptures

Canstruction, the yearly contest in which teams of architects, engineers and contractors build large sculptures entirely from unopened cans of food, is back at Brookfield Place, 230 Vesey Street in Lower Manhattan. It runs October 30 through November 9, daily from 10AM to 7PM, closing at 6PM on the final day. Admission is free.

This is the 34th edition, with 22 sculptures spread across the complex. Competing teams include Arup, Gensler, HOK, Thornton Tomasetti and WSP USA, among others. The jury features Ben Van Leeuwen, co-founder and CEO of Van Leeuwen Ice Cream, and Todd Yamamoto, Director of Operations for the Parm brand at Major Food Group.

There are several ways to take part. The live build, in which the Design Park/West Collection team built a sculpture in the Winter Garden, took place on October 29. During the run, educational tours are offered on October 31 at 11AM, November 4 at 5:30PM, November 5 at noon and November 7 at 11AM. Space is limited and pre-registration through Eventbrite is required. Visitors can also vote for the People's Choice award, and a kids' activity sheet guides younger visitors through the exhibition with questions and activities.

Canned food can be dropped off at the Information Table in the Winter Garden from 10AM to 7PM daily. After the show, the cans are donated to City Harvest, the city's first and largest food rescue organization, which delivers food to pantries and soup kitchens across the five boroughs. A map of the exhibition is available on the Brookfield Place website.