Canstruction 2025: Four Designs That Feed the Imagination

Each fall, the National Building Museum transforms into a showcase of creativity, collaboration, and community impact through Canstruction, a nationwide program dedicated to raising awareness about hunger. During Canstruction, visitors encounter large-scale, imaginative sculptures built entirely from canned goods rising throughout the Museum’s Great Hall.

Organized locally by the Washington Architectural Foundation, Canstruction brings together architecture and design firms from across the Washington, D.C. region for a unique design-build challenge. Teams apply their technical expertise, problem-solving skills, and artistic vision to create structures that inspire and delight. After the exhibition, all cans used in the builds are donated to the Capital Area Food Bank to support individuals and families experiencing food insecurity.

In this post, discover four of the architecture firms participating in Canstruction 2025, and learn about the concepts, design approaches, and structures visitors will encounter in the Museum’s Great Hall.

Arcadis / Donohoe – Agora Garden Tower

Agora Garden Tower in Taipei is a striking example of architectural ingenuity, its spiraling form visually punning on the DNA double helix—a nod to life and sustainability. Each floor twists 4.5 degrees, creating a dynamic, organic silhouette reminiscent of a growing plant. Lush balconies overflow with greenery, blurring the lines between building and garden, while the double-helix structure cleverly maximizes sunlight and rainwater collection. The façade’s interwoven design hints at the interconnectedness of nature and urban life. This “vertical forest” isn’t just eye-catching—it’s a living symbol of environmental harmony and the fusion of technology with the natural world.

Learn more about Arcadis at arcadis.com.
Learn more about Donohoe at donohoe.com.

Moseley – Hallgrímskirkja

Hallgrímskirkja (hahl-grims-keerk-yah) is the largest church and one of the tallest buildings in Iceland. Designed by State Architect Guðjón Samúelsson, the structure took nearly fifty years to build and was completed in 1986. The building took inspiration from the glaciers, mountains, and naturally occurring basalt columns of the Icelandic landscape. Other elements are said to pull from Nordic styles and traditions, such as the rear dome that evokes a Viking helmet. CAN you see the resemblance?

Learn more about Moseley at moseleydesigns.com.

CannonDesign – The Big Duck

At the height of the Great Depression, Long Island duck farmer Martin Maurer had a fantastical idea: build a duck-shaped shop to sell poultry and improve his business. With help from a carpenter and two Broadway set designers, the Big Duck was born — a concrete Pekin, now a beloved roadside icon.

This whimsical structure didn’t just boost sales; it hatched an architectural theory. In their book Learning from Las Vegas, Robert Venturi and Denise Scott Brown coined the terms “duck” and “decorated shed” to describe how buildings communicate their function. A “duck” is where a building’s shape symbolizes its function, while a “decorated shed” is a conventional building with signage or ornamentation to portray its purpose.

The build pays tribute to this legendary landmark and the theory it inspired. Made entirely of cans, the build is a duck-shaped sculpture inspired by a duck-shaped building inspired by a duck. Whether you see it as roadside kitsch or architectural genius, the Big Duck reminds us that form follows function — and sometimes, function can be fowl.

Learn more about CannonDesign at cannondesign.com.

Hartman-Cox Architects – The Pantry

Welcome to The Pantry (a take on The Treasury in Petra)! This towering structure may look intimidating and out of place, but take one step inside and your concerns (and appetite) will be sated. The Pantry exceeds six feet in height and is self-supported by the very pasta boxes and cans that compose it. While not quite an oasis, this desert sanctuary is sure to satisfy. Stocked well with pasta, sauce, tuna, and lentils, visitors to this red monument are sure to leave fulfilled. 

Learn more about Hartman-Cox Architects at hartmancox.com.

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Canstruction is made possible through the generous support of the Capital Area Food Bank, DC Commission on the Arts & Humanities, Giant, the National Building Museum, DPR Construction, and the Washington Architectural Foundation.