Arlington, Va. – The Northern Virginia Chapter of the American Institute of Architects (AIA
Northern Virginia), in collaboration with Fashion Centre at Pentagon City, announced the 2023
Canstruction Northern Virginia Award winners at a reception held at Matchbox in the Fashion
Centre at Pentagon City. Architecture firms were recognized with awards for their creative
designs and innovative use of canned goods.

This annual community hunger relief initiative gathered over 31,000 cans of food estimated to
be worth over $47,000 which will be donated to the Arlington Food Assistance Center (AFAC) to
aid in providing relief to Arlington County residents.

Decided by a jury panel including AIA Northern Virginia’s Chapter President, architect April C.
Drake, AIA, Simon Property’s Operations Manager Ronald Pouncy, structural engineer Danmei
Gui, of SEG, and Matchbox’s Assistant General Manager, Jean Carlos “JC” Mero, several awards
were given across six categories. In addition, the public voted online over several days for their
favorite.

Awards were given to architecture firm teams whose projects used the most cans, received
high marks for design, showed the greatest structural ingenuity, best used the canned good’s
labels to give life to their designs and selected cans for their structure that would best make a
delicious meal.

“Canstruction is an event that allows us to support members of the communities where our
members work and live,” said April C. Drake, AIA, 2023 AIA Northern Virginia President and
Managing Principal at HDR, Inc. in Arlington, Va. “It also allows us (architects) to showcase what
we do in a way that piques the interest of younger generations and may ultimately inspire them
to pursue a career in the design/build industry.”

The 2023 Canstruction Northern Virginia Award Winners are:

Team Spirit Awards:

• Kick Hunger in the Grass, designed and built by Samaha Associates, P.C.
• Everybody Loves a P(ea)B(ee)&J!, designed and built by Little
• Serpent’s Landing, designed and built by Jacobs

Most Cans Award:

• VAN-QUISH Hunger, designed and built by RRMM Architects

Best Meal Award:

• CAN by CAN, taking steps to end hunger, designed and built by Wiley|Wilson

Structural Ingenuity Award:

• Food-E designed and built by KGD (Kishimoto. Gordon. Dalaya PC)

Best Use of Labels Award:

• An Apple a Day…, designed and built by MTFA Architecture

Best Original Design Award:

• Koala-Ty Time Fighting Hunger, designed and built by HGA

People’s Choice Award:

• Food-E designed and built by KGD (Kishimoto. Gordon. Dalaya PC)

See more photos of build night, and the final canned good sculptures on Social Media –
Instagram: @aianorthernvirginia
Facebook: @aianova

About AIA Northern Virginia
The American Institute of Architects Northern Virginia Chapter is a non-profit professional association representing more than 1,100 Northern Virginia architects, interns, and allied professionals. It encompasses 25 cities and counties in Virginia and was chartered by the American Institute of Architects in 1975. AIA Northern Virginia is one of five local components affiliated with AIA Virginia. The Chapter offers professional development, networking, and outreach opportunities as well as tours and lectures to advance the knowledge of architecture and practice among professionals and promote awareness and
appreciation of architecture among the public.

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