Voyage to the Dark Side of the Moon

Canstruction Boston Dark Side of the Moon

SMMA recently took part in Canstruction Boston's 21st Annual Design-Build Event, which brought together architecture and engineering firms from around the area in the spirit of charity and friendly competition. The mission of Canstruction, a national non-profit organization with a number of regional chapters, is to fight hunger: All designs are constructed entirely from canned goods, which are then donated to local food banks. Since its founding in 1995, Canstruction Boston food contributions have exceeded 882,000 pounds and benefitted countless individuals throughout the Commonwealth.

"This marked the 15th year of SMMA's participation in Canstruction Boston," said Heather McCormack, Canstruction Boston board member. "The enthusiasm and teamwork that our employees consistently bring to this event are awesome."

 

Canstruction has held events in 140 cities around the world; this year's Boston installment took place at the BSA Space and Atlantic Wharf, with all donations going to the Merrimack Valley Food Bank. The theme of the event was "Journey into Space," and the SMMA team drew inspiration from a staple in the classic rock canon: Pink Floyd's seminal 1973 album, The Dark Side of the Moon. Recreating the album's iconic cover took 5,467 cans of vegetables—enough to earn SMMA the "Most Cans" award. The built exhibit, the culmination of months of planning and coordination, will be on display at Boston's South Station until October 28th.

"Each year, this event presents an opportunity for us to not only display our creativity, but also to give back to our community in a really meaningful way," said Robert Henry, SMMA team captain. "Over the past three months, we've met at least weekly, focusing our time and energy on designing a structure that will help put the spotlight on hunger relief."

 

The SMMA team consisted of Kendyl Conway, Richard Croswell, Ian Folger, Haideh Hedvat, Robert Henry, Crystal Kittredge, Ara Krafian, Rachel Leibowitz, Nicholas Perry, Erin Prestileo, Jane Quercia, Bob Robbins, Alyssa Tompkins, Sarah Traniello, Allison Ucci, Fernando Useche, Amanda Vigneau, and Ian Yelich. The firm would like to thank Seneca Foods Corporation and Trader Joe's for their assistance in procuring the necessary amount of canned items for the build-out, and looks forward to continuing to do its part in the quest to end hunger in Massachusetts in next year's competition.