IA’s office in the Centennial State joins Canstruction and donates almost 2,000 canned goods to the Food Bank of the Rockies.
In the face of statistics that report 49 million Americans are food insecure, with 21.6 percent of the nation’s children living in food insecure households, the Denver office of IA Interior Architects chose to address hunger with their 30th anniversary activity that focuses on giving back to the local community. IA’s Denver office participated in the annual Canstruction design and build competition, in which 1,925 cans of soup, vegetables, and fish used in the office’s design were donated to the Food Bank of the Rockies.
“The Denver Office has historically and annually supported important charity causes as we recognize the critical nature of giving back to the community,” says Larry King, regional director of corporate services and 20-year veteran of IA. “We were very proud this year to have identified Canstruction.” Since the Denver office was established in 2000, it has committed charitable services to the Boys and Girls Club, the Denver Art Museum, the United Way, The Children’s Hospital, the March of Dimes, and the Denver Children’s Home.
“It is an event that affects the community positively, and that is also creative, collaborative, and fun,” says Marcus Appleby, a junior designer with IA who organized the event on behalf of the firm. In addition to feeding a charitable cause, Canstruction is a good demonstration of how the industry—from engineering, construction, architecture, and design—works together to create aesthetic sculptures that would then feed the hungry, he adds.
IA’s design was an abstraction of the Denver city scape against the backdrop of the Rocky Mountains. “The experience was an event for us to reflect on all that has been accomplished by IA in the last 30 years as we continue to grow our presence in the Denver community,” says Samantha Colestock, a junior designer in Denver’s office.
“It felt good knowing that all of those cans were to be donated to those in need,” says Gretchen Butterfield, junior designer with IA. “Looking around at all the projects—13 total including IA’s design—it felt good to see all of the food that would go to a good cause.”