CANstruction Philadelphia 2015
Official Rules + Regulations
Kick-Off Meeting: January 5th, 2015 @ 6:00pm, CFA
Deadline for Entry: January 12th, 2015 @ 5:00pm
Entry Form + $150 must be received at CFA
Build Night: April 17th, 2015 @ 8:00pm, Rotunda at Liberty Place
CANstruction Philadelphia 2015: April 18th – April 26th, 2015
Rotunda at The Shops at Liberty Place
Awards Gala: April 25th, 2015 @ 8:00pm, Rotunda at Liberty Place
CANSTRUCTION 2015: OFFICIAL RULES + REGULATIONS FOR TEAMS
The following rules and regulations govern all Canstruction® competitions. After the official building rules you
will see other guidelines that are adapted for the Philadelphia competition. They are included here to assist
your team in understand all of aspects and logistics of the competition.
Each person on the committee and each team should be given a copy of the rules and regulations to review.
These same rules and regulations will be explained to the Jury that will be judging the competition structures.
All building materials and methods observed the night of the build-out are to be conveyed to the Jury. It may
be required that all teams submit a list of their building materials or building systems they will be employing.
The Jury will interpret the rules and regulations in making their determinations.
Competition organizers do not disqualify an entry. All decisions are left in the hands of the Jury.
Awards will be given in the following 7 categories:
Best Meal
Best Use of Labels
Structural Ingenuity
Jurors’ Favorite
Most Cans Used
Honorable Mention(s)
Philabundance will also give the following award:
People’s Choice
After all the competitions are held, local winners go on to compete internationally through submission of digital
photography to a panel of jurors that convenes at the SDA/AIA International Convention in the spring of each
year. This information will be submitted by the CANstruction 2015 Steering Committee after the event. Note:
Most Cans and People’s Choice Awards do not proceed to the International competition.
Maximum size for a structure is 10’L x 10’W x 10’H
Each team is to provide a sketch or computer image and dimensions of their structure by February 16, 2015.
Email submissions to the attention of Jared McKnight at [email protected]. Do not send CAD
files. PDF format is preferred. Firm names will be kept anonymous prior to the announcement of the winners.
If two teams submit the same idea, both teams will be notified. At that time, preference will be given to the
team who submitted their design first and who also included the most detail at the time of their submission. The
other team will be required to re-submit a design within a week of the initial deadline (February 23, 2015).
However, either team (once notified) may relinquish their design in favor of coming up with a new design, but if
an agreement is not reached, the team who submitted the design first will be given rights to that design. If
complications arise during this process, and neither team is willing to cooperate and surrender their design or
accept the rules, both teams will be asked to submit a re-design within a week of the initial deadline (Feb 23).
Maximum size of the official team that actually builds the structure is five (5) persons, but teams can be any
size. Only 5 team members will be permitted to build at one time, but you may have additional team members
to un-box cans. The five team members include those who are cutting foam-core and other materials, etc.
Teams may swap out members at any time. Regardless of how many team members are in the firm/school
participating, five individuals must be selected as the official team, with ONE designated team captain.
Aluminum food cans of all sizes may be used. Some food manufacturers are switching to plastic. If using plastic
containers make sure they can take the pressure of cans from above.
No glass containers allowed.
No pet food.
No alcoholic beverages.
No use of soda or junk food – depending on the jury, you run the risk that they will penalize you for using nonnutritional items. Remember the food banks need nutritional food, not junk food. Make every effort in
designing your structure to use nutritious, edible foods.
No opened or exposed food.
Cans must be full, unopened and with labels intact and legible.
Labels on cans may not be covered, stripped off or altered in any way.
Use of boxes and bags is strongly discouraged. The name of the competition is CANstruction, not BOXstruction
or WaterBottleStruction; therefore, jurors prefer canned food be used in the competition. In recent years,
many structures utilizing boxes, water bottles, etc. did not make it through the elimination process at the Local
and International competitions.
PLEASE MAKE EVERY EFFORT TO USE CANNED GOODS!
Props are strongly discouraged. Jurors prefer pure food structures. Try to solve all design problems with food
items. All things equal; a structure with props will lose when judged against a structure with no props.
(Example: a structure that has “eyes.” One entry uses black cans to make eyes; another entry cuts out black
circles of paper and tapes on cans for eyes. Once the jury sees that eyes can be made from cans or a food
product, any entry using paper cutouts is in disfavor). Neither Liberty Place nor CANstruction Philadelphia is
responsible for props that are removed from the location during the weeklong exhibit.
Structures MUST be structurally self-supporting. NO 2x4 boards, NO half-inch plywood, NO half-inch thick
tubing and NO sheet metal.
Permissible: one-quarter inch thick foam-core, ¼ inch thick cardboard, ¼ inch thick masonite, ¼ inch thick
plywood, ¼ inch thick plexiglass, ¼ inch thick threaded rod – for the purpose of leveling or balancing materials
but NOT as load bearing. Cardboard tubes used as guides must also be limited to one-quarter inch thick. A
structure where the ¼” leveling materials cannot be seen is usually judged superior to a structure where it is in
plain view.
THERE IS TO BE ABSOLUTELY NO CUTTING OF MATERIALS IN LIBERTY PLACE THE NIGHT OF BUILD NIGHT. ALL
MATERIALS MUST BE PRE-CUT BEFORE ARRIVING ON THE PREMISES. TEAMS THAT DO NOT ABIDE BY THIS
WILL BE DISQUALIFIED FROM THE COMPETITION.
Velcro, clear and double-stick tape may be used.
High-tension rubber bands, nylon string, wire and tie-backs are permissible.
No permanent adhesives.
Teams are responsible for leaving their site “broom-clean” at the end of DeCANstruction on April 26th.
Any questions please contact: Jared McKnight: [email protected]
ACQUISITION OF CANNED GOODS
Participating firms/schools are responsible for obtaining their own supply of canned goods.
Expired canned food should not be used in the competitions as the food may not be accepted by local food
banks.
Firms may solicit canned goods and/or financial donations from manufacturers, consultants, vendors,
contractors or conduct employee food drives to acquire their canned goods for their structure.
All canned goods must be purchased/donated and ready for delivery by:
April 13 – April 16, 2015 – WITHOUT EXCEPTION!!!
The local CANstruction competition IS NOT a 501(c)3 non-profit charity, but the Center For Architecture that
runs the event IS a 501(c)3 non-profit. Our local food bank, Philabundance, will provide its taxpayer ID to food
donors, but WILL NOT provide a written letter to each donor to use as a charitable tax deduction, so when
seeking donations, suggest to donors to take the contribution as a marketing/public relations business expense.
Naming the contributors on your signage next to your structure will give them marketing/PR exposure. We can
also provide you with the Center For Architecture’s tax ID number, and a proof of partnership letter from
Philabundance to CANstruction Philadelphia.
Cans should be packed in sturdy cartons and labeled with your team/firm name on them.
If arranging for canned goods from an out of town supplier, they must be delivered to the host site. No
sidewalk deliveries. The mover/delivery service must provide a Certification of Insurance to the loading dock
manager in order to enter the building to deliver the food. All the same labeling requirements are necessary.
Cans may be delivered to the site ONLY on dates listed as permissible (April 13-16 from 5-11pm – date and time
to be scheduled in March 2015).
Whether you are delivering your own cans or having them delivered, a team member MUST BE ON SITE at all
times during deliveries to make sure all cans have been delivered. If anything is missing they have that day to
find it and/or get it delivered.
Save all packing boxes during the exhibition to be used for DeCANstruction. Boxes must be used to repack cans
at the end of the competition. Bring additional packing boxes to the site for DeCANstruction.
SUBMISSION WITH DEADLINES
SIGNAGE & TEXT (See Sample on Last Page)
Each entry will have an 18’’ x 36’’ foam-core board (self-standing easel back) that sits adjacent to the structure.
There is an official graphic standard for the layout that is used without exception. If you have contributors that
must have their logos prominently displayed, this would require an additional easel backed board created and
produced by your firm/school, at your own expense, but it must follow the CANstruction Philadelphia
guidelines – email Jared McKnight at [email protected] for more information.
Signage and text DEADLINE is absolutely NO LATER than March 16, 2015
Email as a Word Document to [email protected].
Do NOT format your Word Document.
Flush left on all required text.
Enter a return between each piece of information required.
Do NOT choose fonts, sizes, graphics, etc.
No columns.
No text boxes, no picture boxes, no graphics, no logos (firm or contributors).
No colors.
PLEASE DO NOT DO YOUR OWN FORMATTING! WE DO THIS FOR YOU!
A sample of a completed signage and text submission is attached (last page).
The information requested should be submitted in a Word Document in the following order (DO NOT list these
category titles in your document but follow this order for providing the required information).
Firm/School Name – The way it should officially appear in the program. Confirm with a firm Principal
or Director.
Title of Entry – If any word in your title is to be italicized, in all caps, etc, do so.
Description of the Structure – Keep to one paragraph. This is what is provided to the Jurors and
public as they view each entry. The descriptions are most helpful in drawing the Jurors’ and Public’s
eye to the rich detail in each design, any play on words, double entendres with the label names, etc.
Don’t get caught up in making long drawn out philosophical statements – keep that to one sentence
and let your entry speak for itself, spend your time describing the choices you made in cans and labels
to articulate your theme. Spellcheck your paragraph!
5-Person Team Names – Captain first (no exceptions, no co-captains) followed by the rest of the team
in alphabetical order – spell names correctly – you must designate ONE team captain.
Thank You’s – For any sponsors and/or other firm/team members who participated. If you are
receiving major support from a food manufacturer or grocery store and need to display a sign with
their logo, you will need to create a separate board at your own expense. It should be a foam-core
board, self-standing easel to sit on the floor.
MOVING MANIFEST (CAN INFORMATION):
If using an outside mover to have your cans delivered to the exhibition building they must be delivered to the
site – no sidewalk deliveries unless someone from your firm is there to receive and deliver with dollies.
Mover’s Certificate of Insurance must be presented to loading dock manager.
All boxes/cartons must be labeled with your firm name and site location.
PLEASE BRING YOUR OWN DOLLIES/CARTS/ETC TO MOVE YOUR CANS FROM THE LOADING DOCK TO THE
STORAGE ROOM IN LIBERTY PLACE, THIS WILL MAKE YOUR LIVES A LOT EASIER!
Each team captain must submit an Excel Spreadsheet that includes their firm/school’s contact information
and columns requiring the following information to be completed:
Detailed inventory of all cans:
Name of each food product used in the structure
Quantity of each food product used
Total number of cans
Total cost whether purchased or donated
Total amount of monetary donations being donated to Philabundance
BUILD NIGHT
Build night begins at 8:00 PM on Friday, April 17, 2015 – YOU MUST BE ON TIME!
Contributors to CANstruction may drop by to say hello, hand out gifts, products, etc. Please be courteous,
cheerful and happy to meet them. Without their financial and in-kind donations we would be unable to
produce CANstruction.
Complete all preparations of foam-core/material cutting or other special materials you require prior to the
evening of the build night. NO CUTTING OF MATERIALS IS ALLOWED AT LIBERTY PLACE.
If you have a chance to practice building in your office, take that opportunity to minimize surprises at the site.
Bring plenty of extra supplies (tape, scissors, foam-core, cardboard) – over estimate. Bring a ladder if you are
building a tall structure.
Boxes must be stored out of sight for repackaging at the end of the event. When your CANstruction is
completely finished, send a representative to the onsite CANstruction Chair to sign out. There may be a
videographer. We want to get a combination of teams building, finished objects and team interviews. Do not
leave before being captured on video/photograph.
Call your competition Chair to make sure your structure is standing the next morning. Ask the Chair to call you
if your structure looks like it is structurally unsound, sagging, slipping, etc. Be prepared to go over and fix it
immediately. If rebuilding is impossible, box up the cans.
There is to be absolutely NO consumption of alcoholic beverages on the premises of Liberty Place. If any of
the CANstruction chairs or volunteers witness the presence or consumption of alcoholic beverages by a
participating team, your team will be disqualified from the competition, and removed from Liberty Place. In
the event of such an occurrence, it is understood that all canned goods will still be donated to
Philabundance, but the team will be given no recognition for participation in the 2015 CANstruction event.
JUDGING
Make sure all team members know the following:
Judging is done anonymously.
Judging will commence at 10:00 AM on April 18, 2015
Be prepared to go to the site and rebuild anything that may have fallen.
Team members cannot be on location at the time of judging.
No signage displayed until the jury has left, but descriptions of each structure will be provided to the jury.
THE GALA
The Gala is on Saturday, April 25, 2015 at 8:00-10:00 PM
Arrive no later than 8:15 PM for awards.
Presentations of awards will begin at 8:30 PM.
Business dress, avoid casual attire.
We request that at least one representative from each team is at the Gala to accept awards.
Invitation Only – You must have an invitation to attend. Team names will be on a list for emergency use.
Each active team member (names provided to the CANstruction event Co-Chairs) will receive a free ticket to the
Awards Gala, however we must cap this at a 10 ticket maximum per team. Additional tickets may be purchased
for additional team members at an extremely discounted rate.
Please introduce yourselves to the event contributors and sponsors and Philabundance representatives, and let
them know how much their contribution means to the event. It is good for some team members to be at your
structure to welcome everyone and answer questions regarding the design and construction methodologies.
PHOTOGRAPHY & VIDEOGRAPHY
Professional photographs will be taken of each entry.
Winning teams will have their photos taken at the awards presentation.
A photographer and videographer will be on site on build night and the evening of the Gala for candid
photographs, finished team shots, a time-lapse video, etc.
Take your own photos, if using digital cameras put on setting for highest resolution. Remove all signage and
stanchions prior to photographing. Many times the personal photos are excellent and can be used for the
International Competition and the media.
Make sure to always tag CANstructionPHL on social media and stay tuned for the 2015 hashtags!!!
DECANSTRUCTION
De-CANstruction is on April 26, 2015 at 5:00 PM!
Each entry must be taken down and packed in boxes, and moved back down to the loading docks for pickup.
You should allow ample time so that your entry is completely packed by 9:00 PM!
You MUST keep your boxes for this process.
SAMPLE SIGNAGE AND TEXT SUBMISSION
Ganczarz + McKnight, LLP
CAN-CAN Dancers
Descriptive Paragraph
___________________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________________
Team:
Jared McKnight, Captain___
Kelly Ganczarz___________
_______________________
_______________________
_______________________
Special Thanks to our other team members: Troy Hannigan, Michael Fierle, Melissa Centurio-Lopes,
Lauren Stabile, Cassidy Hobbs, Sara Nordstrom, Liz Edelen and Stephen Schaeffer.
Special Thank You to Whole Foods, Lucky Deli, Di Bruno Brothers, Fresh Grocer, Crown Holdings, NRI,
and ARC for their generous contributions to our structure.