Event · Battery Park City

Canstruction Returns to Brookfield Place in Battery Park City, NYC, Through Nov. 9

Canstruction is on at Brookfield Place in Lower Manhattan through Nov. 9. Architecture, engineering and construction teams build sculptures from unopened food cans, with a People's Choice vote, a donation table and remaining tours. The cans go to City Harvest afterward.

By NBT Editors · 2026-11-03

Canstruction Returns to Brookfield Place in Battery Park City, NYC, Through Nov. 9
Image: bfplny.com

Canstruction, the annual design competition in which teams build sculptures entirely from unopened cans of food, is on view at Brookfield Place in Lower Manhattan through Monday, Nov. 9. Architects, engineers and contractors compete, and the finished works are shown throughout the complex before the cans are donated to City Harvest, New York's first and largest food rescue organization.

Can sculpture of a fire engine and building at Canstruction in the Winter Garden
Image: bfplny.com

This year's teams include Arup, Beyer Blinder Belle, Buro Happold, CetraRuddy, Design Park, Gensler, HOK, Perkins Eastman, Thornton Tomasetti and WSP USA, among others. The jury includes 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, along with representatives from Arcadis, the Center for Architecture and the creator of @TheMeganDaily.

Purple can sculpture of a face at Canstruction with a gold can sculpture behind
Image: bfplny.com

Visitors can take part in several ways. An information table in the Winter Garden accepts donations of canned food from 10am to 7pm. A People's Choice award goes to the sculpture with the most votes, cast through an online form. Kids can pick up an activity sheet that walks them through the exhibition with questions and tasks.

Guided tours are still scheduled for Wednesday, Nov. 4 at 5:30pm, Thursday, Nov. 5 at 12pm and Saturday, Nov. 7 at 11am. Space is limited and pre-registration through Eventbrite is required. The live build, in which Design Park and West Collection assembled one sculpture in the Winter Garden, took place on Oct. 29.

The exhibition is open daily from 10am to 7pm and closes at 6pm on the final night. Sculptures are spread across the Brookfield Place complex, and the venue has published a map of their locations. Canstruction New York is a 501(c)(3) founded by the Society for Design Administration, which supports management and administrative professionals in the architecture, engineering and construction industries. Canstruction runs competitions and events worldwide.

Where

Open in Google MapsOfficial site

Dates

Fri, Oct 30 – Mon, Nov 9

Hours

Daily 10am–7pm through Nov. 9 (closes 6pm on Nov. 9). Tours: Nov. 4 5:30pm, Nov. 5 12pm, Nov. 7 11am (pre-registration required)

Price

Free