June 10, 2008 – Marina City is one of 20 structures depicted using cans of food in the lobby of 350 West Mart Center, also known as Merchandise Mart Apparel Center.

“Canstruction Chicago 2008,” going on through June 22, pits teams of architects, engineers, and students against each other to design and build structures made entirely from full cans of food. The exhibit kicked off the 2008 NeoCon World’s Trade Fair at Merchandise Mart, which is expected to attract 50,000 people. At the close of the exhibition, an estimated 80,000 pounds of canned food will be donated to Greater Chicago Food Depository.

(Click on an image above to view larger version)

“Bold bean bridges stretch past beefy Smith & Wollensky and over the green/blue Chicago River,” reads the exhibit’s official description. “Complemented with the Sax hotel of soup, this square meal surf-n-turf city block is paved with a fine Red Bulled House of Blues.”

It took 4,714 cans of food to build the aptly named “Tuna City.” The structure was assembled by 15 team members at two firms. 4240 Architecture designed the residential towers, Smith & Wollensky, the river and bridges. Charter Sills & Associates, a lighting design firm, designed and assembled the House of Blues and Hotel Sax.

Tuna cans were used for each tower. Team captain Victoria Rose, of 4240 Architecture, says the tuna cans “seemed like an appropriate scale for each of the balconies.”

“At every two stories of the tower we used foam core which was cut in advance,” says Rose. “Painted MDF [a type of hardboard] was used above and below the cans of corn.”

Rose says they started building the night of June 4. “We finished the towers, the river, Smith and Wollensky, and the streets by about 9:30 [p.m.]. Charter Sills took about two hours and started working after the towers were up.”

A panel of guest judges gave the Marina City display a national award for “Best Use of Labels.” The model will compete in that category at American Institute of Architects’s national convention next year.

The exhibit is presented by AIA Chicago. Canstruction competitions are held nationwide. Since 1992, they have donated ten million pounds of food to charity.

 Photo of model and team members by Chicago Real Estate Daily

 Canstruction web site

 AIA Chicago