A New Design/Build Experience for Bonick Landscaping
Bonick Landscaping demonstrated their “can do” attitude this past weekend at the State Fair of Texas by participating for the first time in Canstruction, a design/build competition created by the Society for Design Administration (SDA) working in tandem with the American Institute of Architects (AIA). Canstruction is held in 150 cities around the world and benefits local hunger relief organizations. Last year’s Dallas Canstruction competition used 112,967 cans of food (the equivalent of 127,209 meals), making it the second largest donating city behind Chicago. This year teams made up of local architects, engineers, designers, and contractors built 37 structures using 161,544 canned food items. Each team provides its own cans of food that will be donated to the North Texas Food Bank and Tarrant Area Food Bank at the end of the exhibit.
Our Canstruction
The Bonick Landscaping team is used to designing and building outdoor living spaces that include pools, water features, outdoor fireplaces and fire pits, kitchens and other hardscape structures but this was our first time building a sculptural design entirely out 
of food cans. The actual design/build process stretched over about a three month period, culminating in the construction that took place Saturday. Following the advice of competition experts, we decided to keep our first Canstruction Dallas design effort simple, not knowing what challenges we might encounter along the way and knowing our build time was limited. Using approximately 3,000 cans, our design, pictured here, is a cell phone showing an image of a tree with roots that extend beyond the screen into the ground. In spite of all of our ogling at other designs and visiting with competitive teams within the design industry, we still managed to finish two and a half hours early while having a terrific time.
The Challenge
While I won’t bore you by enumerating all the competition rules, here are a few to 
keep in mind as you view all the great designs at the exhibit:
- All structures need to be completely self-supporting.
- All labels must remain intact and undamaged.
- Props are strongly discouraged.
- Canned food can be joined using tape, Velcro, fishing line, wire, rubber bands, nylon string, and zip straps.
- Teams must provide a detailed list of foods and number of cans used.
Awards are given for Best Meal, Best Use of Labels, Most Cans, Structural Ingenuity, 1 Honorable Mention, Jurors’ Favorite, and People’s Choice.
The Need
While the Canstruction design/build competition was fun and makes for a great exhibit, it is important to keep in mind the need and cause that Canstruction Dallas supports. Many people don’t realize that 1 in every 4 kids in North Texas is food insecure (304,000 children) and that 68% of client households served by the North Texas Food Bank have to choose between buying food and paying for medicine or medical care. Each day, the North Texas food bank provides about 170,000 meals for hungry children, seniors and families but it isn’t enough; 250,000 meals are needed each day to feed hungry North Texans. Importantly, you can make a difference. When you donate just $1 to North Texas Food Bank you help provide access to 3 meals.
The Exhibit
If you’re going to this year’s State Fair of Texas, you can see the exhibit in the Science Place building starting Friday, September 25. The exhibit will be on display daily from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. and will run until the last day of the fair, October 18th. And when you visit, don’t forget to cast your vote for your favorite Canstruction!
For over 30 years, Bonick Landscaping, has served Dallas area clients with the highest standards looking for out-of-the-ordinary luxury landscape design and pools by offering the best in service, workmanship, and plantings. Services include hardscape and landscape design, pool designs, pool construction and installation, estate management, lawn care services and garden maintenance, pool maintenance, and more. For discerning clients in Dallas who want to express their own distinctive style through their landscaping, Bonick Landscaping can help you realize your dream. Call us at 972-243-9673 or visit our website at www.bonicklandscaping.com.