Campus & Community

Stacking and shaping 2,500 cans of red and black beans, tuna and bottled water into a replica of the United States and two of the nation’s most famous bridges was no small feat, but Palm Beach State College architecture students came out on top.

Their design for the Palm Beach County Food Bank  “Canstruction” event won a “Best Meal” award and tied with another team for the “Most Needed Food Items” award.

Using the theme “From Sea to Shining Sea,” seven teams participated in the contest and charitable event benefiting the Palm Beach County Food Bank. All of the food used to create the sculptures will be donated to the food bank. The sculptures will be on display at the Palm Beach Gardens Mall through June 22.

Palm Beach State’s six-member team, including Professor Dharmesh Patel and students from the PBSC chapter of the American Institute of Architecture Students (AIAS) and the Architecture Department at the Boca Raton campus spent seven hours June 8 building the project.

“It took longer than I thought,’’ said Melissa Kistler, treasurer of AIAS. “We had fun doing it. The time passed by so quickly that all of a sudden it was 1 o’clock in the morning.”

She said one member developed the plans on a computer so that they could figure out how many cans would be needed to make the structure and ensure its stability. They selected and purchased the food using monetary donations from the WholeFoods Market and a grant.

“We had to come up with a way that it would not cave in. I feel the way we collaborated worked out well,’’Kistler said. “Because we’re going to school for architecture everything had to be perfect,’’ she added with a chuckle.

This is Palm Beach State’s second year participating in the event. Patel encouraged the students to get involved again. “They loved it. They had a good time,’’ he said.

Last year’s event generated more than 23,000 pounds of food to help fight hunger in the community, according to the Palm Beach County Food Bank.