Building a World Without Hunger: REES + Manhattan Construction at CANstruction OKC
REES, partnering with Manhattan Construction Company, earned the “Best Use of Labels” award for our team’s Minecraft-inspired structure, The Meals of Minecraft: Building a World Without Hunger. CANstruction OKC, benefiting The Salvation Army of Central Oklahoma, is a philanthropic event where teams of design professionals—including architects, engineers, contractors and students—compete to build large-scale structures using only canned and boxed foods. Once the event is complete, teams’ non-perishable items are donated to support the Salvation Army’s client-choice food pantry, which serves up to 180 individuals or families each week.
Bringing Minecraft to Life
The Meals of Minecraft structure featured iconic characters and scenery from the game. The main character, Steve, sat atop the iconic, cubic Minecraft hills. A pink pig, made from La Croix seltzer water and fruit punch juice boxes stood on another hill. Cascading from the top of the structure was a waterfall made from varieties of Bush’s beans. Smaller white cans represented waterfall foam at the base. Inside a cave, a TNT box made of tomatoes and canned chicken was surrounded by lava, represented by corn, carrots and chicken stock.
Each item in the structure was selected not only for its color but also to represent a nutritious, well-balanced meal. The full list of materials made up an ingredients list to prepare a hearty Mexican Chicken Soup. The structure’s design even included boxed brownie mix for dessert! Our team’s thoughtful selection ensured every donated item would be meaningful and useful to those in need.
Design and Build Process
The REES + Manhattan team collaborated for a month prior to Build Night. The structure was fully planned in SketchUp, with each layer mapped out in advance. During Build Night, the REES and Manhattan teams assembled the structure in four hours. Wood supports were strategically placed throughout to maintain structural integrity while keeping the design clean and true to concept.
Community Engagement
After the event’s judging, REES and Manhattan had the opportunity to present the completed build to youth from the Salvation Army Red Shield Youth Shelter’s STEAM program. The group explored the details of the Minecraft world and asked insightful questions about the construction process and design choices, which added another layer of impact to the experience. The event coincided with the release of the new Minecraft movie, making the theme especially timely and engaging.
This event is one of the many ways REES is supporting the community in celebration of the firm’s 50th Anniversary year. As REES reflects on our first 50 years of design excellence, the firm remains focused on building a better future, both through the spaces it creates and meaningful community service.