Larson Design Group Pays Homage to Historic Infrastructure while Benefiting the Community with Upcoming Canstruction® Competition

WILLIAMSPORT, PA – One can makes a difference – cans of food, that is.

Canstruction® is a nationally-recognized program hosted by 85 cities in the United States and Canada. The competition is geared to place a focus on hunger while spotlighting the creativity and spirit of the competitors. Teams of architects, engineers, contractors, designers, and students design a structure of any type using unopened cans of food and then construct the structure during the day of the event. The structures are judged to select a winner, and an awards ceremony is conducted. Once the structures are “decanstructed”, the cans of food are donated to area food banks within Central Pennsylvania.

“Events like this naturally evolve to a point of being totally dependant on 100% effort from the team members, the hosting company, and the surrounding community,” said Brandon Peak, the design team’s coordinator. “It is a great feeling to be a part of such a worthwhile cause. Having as much fun as we are is just an added bonus.”

LDG’s design features a covered bridge, paying homage to the many historic structures dotted throughout the local communities. Currently, the group is doing a preliminary construction test to ensure the bridge maintains its structure during the competition.

“Building a structure out of cans presents its own unique challenges, simply because cans are obviously not intended to be used as building material,” commented designer and team member David Balzer.  “From the archways that support the bridge to the covered roof above, these challenges test not only our design and engineering skills, but our desire to figure out a solution and overcome any obstacle.”

Each competitive team must raise funds to purchase their own cans and supplies. To gain company-wide appeal, LDG’s design team held luncheons to raise money internally, while employees and LDG vendors also pitched in. Finally, the company made a match to the funds raised by initial efforts, giving the group enough money to purchase the final amount of cans needed to finish the bridge. In total, LDG’s structure utilizes over 2500 cans – a lot of building blocks to work with, and a lot of food to help overcome hunger in our local region.

The Central Pennsylvania Canstruction®, sponsored in part by Giant Food Corporation, Project S.H.A.R.E., and Channel WHTM 27 in Harrisburg, was held February 21 at the Farm Show Complex in Harrisburg, and the awards ceremony was February 23 at the Wildwood Conference Center, Harrisburg Area Community College. LDG’s display, appropriately titled “Bridge Over CAN-died Waters”, took an honorable mention award.