CANSTRUCTION Comes to Northern Virginia It took 36 years to build the Washington Monument. Can it be built out of 1200 cans in 7 hours?

Northern Virginia's first CANSTRUCTION competition begins on April 2 as the kick off event for Virginia Architecture Week 2004. Organized by the American Institute of Architects Northern Virginia Chapter, CANSTRUCTION is a fun design/build competition that helps feed local residents in need. Teams from local architecture firms build imaginative, humorous structures entirely out of canned goods at Ballston Common Mall. When the exhibit ends, all food is donated to the Arlington Food Assistance Center.

Alexandria, Virginia (PRWEB) March 20, 2004--Northern Virginias first CANSTRUCTION© competition begins on April 2 at Ballston Common Mall as the kick off event for Virginia Architecture Week 2004.

Bring the family and watch seven teams, led by architects, build imaginative, humorous, incredible structures entirely out of canned foods. These creations can be as tall as eight feet and as big as ten feet square. CANSTRUCTION© competitions have included a full scale VW Beetle made out of 7800 cans and a portrait of Elvis, the King of Pop, built entirely from soda cans.

Participants are:

BeeryRio Architecture & Interiors, Springfield, VA

Grimm + Parker Architects, McLean, VA and Calverton, MD

Kerns Group Architects/Kfoury Construction Group, Arlington/Reston, VA

Perkowitz & Ruth Architects, Reston, VA

URS Corporation, Washington, DC

Westfield High School, Chantilly, VA

Mentored by William Brown, AIA and Stephanie Satterfield from BeeryRio

and Christopher Hennessey of Haynes Whaley Associates

Wisnewski Blair & Associates, Ltd., Alexandria, VA

Entries will be judged for Jurors Favorite, Structural Ingenuity, Best Use of Labels, Best Meal, and Peoples Choice. The distinguished jury includes architectural writer Patricia Dane Rogers, award-winning architect James William Ritter, FAIA, and jewelry designer and goldsmith Gretchen Raber. Winning entries will go on to compete in the national CANSTRUCTION© competition.

Vote for your favorite creation by donating a can as your ballot.

Organized by the American Institute of Architects Northern Virginia Chapter, CANSTRUCTION© is a fun design/build competition that helps feed local residents in need. All food is donated to the Arlington Food Assistance Center, a non-profit organization dedicated to providing supplemental groceries to Arlington residents who otherwise would not have enough to eat. Our goal is to collect 25,000 cans of food.

Schedule of CANSTRUCTION© Events

Friday, April 2, Build-Out Night, 5:00 pm -- midnight

Teams have seven hours to build structures.

Structures become more visually interesting as the night progresses.

Public and members of the press are invited.

Saturday, April 3, Press Preview, 9:00 am and Judging 10:00 am

Members of the press are invited to view and photograph the completed projects

and interview the jury and team members.

Thursday, April 8, Awards Reception and Ceremony, 6:00 -- 8:00 pm

At Rock Bottom in Ballston Common Mall

Invitation only and members of the press

April 3-23, Public Display of CANSTRUCTION©

All events take place at Ballston Common Mall, 4238 Wilson Boulevard, Arlington, 703-243-6346, www.ballston-common.com (Ballston Station on Metros Ogange Line or park in Arlington Countys Public Parking Garage at the Mall).

Children and adults alike can enjoy this event!

The Northern Virginia organizers are the American Institute of Architects Northern Virginia Chapter, Ballston Common Mall, and the Arlington Food Assistance Center. Local sponsors are ABC Imaging, Can Manufacturers Institute, Doormation, and Rock Bottom Brewery.

For additional information on the local competition, visit the AIA Northern Virginia Chapter web site at www.aianova.org or contact the chapter at aianova@erols.com or 703-549-9747. For information on the national competition and to see samples of structures, visit www.canstruction.org.

CANSTRUCT A WORLD WITHOUT HUNGER

Photos Available Upon Request

CANSTRUCTION© is a national charity of the design and construction industry under the auspices of the Society of Design Administration. National contributors are Architectural Digest; Avonite, Inc.; Buchanan Ingersoll; IMI; Millennium Offset; OD&P; and Wind2 Software.

The AIA Northern Virginia Chapter, a professional organization representing more than 800 Northern Virginia architects, is dedicated to advancing the knowledge of architecture among professionals and expanding the awareness and appreciation of architecture among the general public.

Media Contact:

Debbie Burns

Executive Director

AIA Northern Virginia Chapter

703-549-9747

aianova@erols.com