In honor of AIA Northern Virginia’s 50^th Anniversary, the Community Service / Canstruction^® Committee is working in partnership with Capital Area Food Bank (CAFB) to celebrate this monumental milestone with a dedicated CanArt^® sculpture.  Our 50^th Anniversary sculpture will feature a larger-than-life CAN with the number 50 embossed on it! We are currently seeking donations and volunteers to help fund and build the sculpture on Build Day which will take place at Fashion Centre at Pentagon City on September 5, 2025.

Canstruction^® is a nationwide non-profit organization that aims to raise awareness about food insecurity and hunger solutions through fun, local canned food design-build sculpture competitions. Teams ranging from architecture and design firms to government agencies, to construction companies use their skills to construct sculptures built predominantly from canned food. These sculptures, referred to as CanArt^®, result in stunning displays of creative and collaborative design.

AIA Northern Virginia has been hosting the Canstruction^® event for more than 25 years! This year we are excited about the newly constructed and LEED Silver certified food bank facility in Lorton, Virginia where all canned food items will be donated after the event. Through volunteering your time or making a financial contribution, we are grateful for your support in bringing our dedicated 50^th Anniversary CanArt^® sculpture to life!

If you would like to donate, visit  the 50^th Anniversary Donation Page at Check out AIA Northern Virginia’s team fundraising page for Capital Area Food Bank.

If you would like to volunteer to help build the 50^th Anniversary CanArt^®Sculpture, please  contact [email protected]. 

Event Information:

Build Day: Friday, September 5 from 4:00 – 11:00 PM.
2025 Canstruction^® Exhibit: Saturday, September 6 – Saturday, September 13.
De-Canstruction: Sunday, September 14 from 8:00 – 10:00 AM.
Where: Fashion Centre at Pentagon City (1100 S Hayes St, Arlington, VA 22202)