CANstruction 2020 | Children’s Books

CANstruction D.C. voting is LIVE! Due to COVID-19, CANstruction unfortunately could not be held in person this year to build sculptures consisting of canned food. However, participating architecture and design firms were still able to submit their designs for judges and the public to view and vote on. Follow the link here to view all submissions and vote for MV+A to win the People’s Choice Award!  One dollar = one vote, and all donations go to The Capital Area Food Bank to continue providing millions of meals to people in communities across D.C., Maryland, and Virginia.

This year’s CANstruction theme was “Children’s Books,” and the fifteen local participating firms purchased 18,610 cans – that is 22,000 meals donated to those in need. This is MV+A’s ninth year participating in CANstruction, and we were fortunate enough to still be able to participate in 2020. Our firm chose the popular children’s book, The Magic School Bus on the Ocean Floor, written by Joanna Cole and illustrated by Bruce Degen. Made popular by the animated 90’s TV series, The Magic School Bus and Ms. Frizzle educated children through crazy scientific and historical adventures. Here are MV+A’s can renderings, along with a pun-filled description, submitted to CANstruction’s 2020 competition:

Hop on the Magic School Bus with MV+A! With propeller and periscope, the ocean we CAN explore on our field trip to the sea. Look to your right, CAN you see the purple octopus swimming towards us? SCAN the ocean floor – so many BUSy ocean beings – casts of CANtankerous crabs CANnoodling in CANyons of seagrass, reefs of mollusCANs hiding their secret treasures from galaxies of starfish prowling for a meal. With Ms. Frizzle at the wheel of our magic hunger-BUSting BUS, we CANtrived to BUSt through with our blockBUSter magic inCANtation:

“We can BUSt hunger! 1, 2, 3, a roBUSt meal it CAN be! 4, 5, 6, CANs make the fix! 8, 9, 10 MV+A does it again! You never know what you CAN find on our field trips!”

Thank you again to The Washington Architectural Foundation and The Capital Area Food Bank for organizing this yearly competition. Don’t forget to donate and vote for MV+A!