Mallwalking is one of our favorite free-or-cheap things to do on a rainy day. We recently visited North Star Mall for a mallwalking session and to see the latest edition of CANstruction, a project of the San Antonio chapters of the American Institute of Architects and the Society for Design Administration, that benefits the San Antonio Food Bank. Through September 22, the mall is home to ten constructions made of canned food by local architects, designers, and students. My kids enjoy the creativity of the designs, and the project also raises awareness of the challenges of hunger in our community.
Our favorite was the matador by Alamo Architects and Turner Construction. The folds of the cape are amazing—how did they make these curves out of cans?
We loved the pop-culture timeliness and creativity of “Forknife” (get it—Fortnite?) by RVK and Lundy & Franke Engineering.
The luchador mask design from Luna Middleman was beautifully constructed.
The piñata with candy design from UTSA AIAS was a hit.
The design from San Antonio College‘s chapter of AIAS featured downtown landmarks including the Tower of the Americas and a river barge.
IES and Lopez Salas Architects, Inc. built the San Antonio Food Bank’s wrestler mascot out of cans.
Marmon Mok honored San Antonio’s tricentennial. There is also a Spurs logo on the back. This sculpture has geometric shapes that look different depending on the angle.
Merrick & Company paid homage to the classic video game Donkey Kong.
PBK and Kimley-Horn built a slinky dog, familiar from Toy Story.
Joeris and LPA presented Mike and Sully from Monsters, Inc. Sully even has a few socks on his back.
There is still time to take your family mallwalking at North Star Mall and appreciate these designers’ creativity for a good cause. The exhibit closes after September 22, and then the 40,000 or so cans will be donated to the San Antonio Food Bank to help families in need.
Read more:
- “CANstruction Announces People’s Choice Award Winners for 2018,” Society for Design Administration San Antonio Chapter, Rivard Report, October 1, 2018
- “Students replicate downtown San Antonio using cans,” Jason Durant, Ranger, September 17, 2018
- “San Antonio’s Design and Construction Community Unites to Fight Hunger with CANstruction,” Society for Design Administration San Antonio Chapter, Rivard Report, September 13, 2018
- “Whimsical structures can help fight hunger,” Richard Marini, San Antonio Express-News, September 10, 2018
- “Canstruction Design/Build Competition,” San Antonio Current, September 9, 2018
