NEWS FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
15TH ANNUAL CANSTRUCTION HELPS FEED THE HUNGRY; TALENTED TEAMS TRANSFORM CANNED FOOD INTO ART WITH COLOSSAL SCULPTURES ON DISPLAY AT CROSSGATES WITH SUPPORT FROM MARKET 32 AND PRICE CHOPPER
Celebrating Capital Region CANstruction: “The Great AmeriCAN Road Trip” Themed Display
April 28 – May 11, 2026
All cans, including those collected from visitors, are donated to
The Food Pantries for the Capital District
Exhibition: April 28 – May 11, 2026
Location: Crossgates, Ground Floor, Two Locations Near APEX Entertainment and Dick’s Sporting Goods
Fee: No Fee; Donation of Canned Goods Encouraged
Guilderland, NY – At the 15th annual Capital Region CANstruction design/build competition, talented teams of architects, designers, builders, and engineers will join forces to create innovative and gravity-defying structures embodying the theme, “The Great AmeriCAN Road Trip!” The structures will be made entirely of canned food, instead of bricks, stone, glass, and other traditional building materials. Structures are comprised of an average of 4,000 cans. Benefitting The Food Pantries for the Capital District, these structures will be on display at Crossgates Mall from April 28 – May 11, 2026. This will be the fourth year the event is being hosted at Crossgates Mall.
The 14 local participating teams include AOW Construction with Envision Architects, CSArch, Exyte, kW Mission Critical Engineering, LaBella, MJ Engineering & Surveying, Mosaic Associates, Ryan Biggs Clark Davis Engineering, Stantec, Colliers Engineering & Design, New Leaf Energy, Hyman Hayes Associates, and newcomers BCA Architects and Engineers, and Saratoga Associates with McLaren Engineering Group. Two additional structures will be part of the exhibit and will be constructed by Girl Scouts from the Girl Scouts of Northeastern New York in support of the 10th Annual Girls CAN
Do, a program the girl scouts participate in that encourages not only STEM, but service to their community.
All “building materials” used in the displays were purchased with generous support and coordination from Market 32 by Price Chopper, the presenting sponsor, and will be donated to The Food Pantries for the Capital District, a coalition of more than 70 food pantries in Albany, Rensselaer, Saratoga, and Schenectady Counties, at the end of CANstruction.
Visitors are encouraged to bring canned goods (tuna, beans, canned vegetables, soups/chilis, and fruit) to Crossgates Mall and participate in the CANstruction competition and food drive. Visitors can use their canned goods as ballots to vote for the winner of the People’s Choice award. Donation receptacles will be stationed at each structure. A jury of designers, local business owners, and local dignitaries will also judge the structures. Awards include Best Original Design, Best Meal, Best Use of Labels, Structural Ingenuity, Honorable Mention, and Jurors Favorite. Additional awards include Largest Cash Donation and Best Signage. Along with juried prizes, a People’s Choice Award will be bestowed on the structure that gains the most votes (most food donations) from visitors. Last year, nearly 7,000 cans were collected at Crossgates from the public.
Leslie Mugrace, Marketing Director at Crossgates remarked, “We’re excited to welcome the Capital Region CANstruction event back to Crossgates! Our visitors love seeing the unique structures come to life here in the center – and even better, it all supports a great cause. We’re so thankful for our amazing shoppers who always show up to give back. It’s an event we’re proud to be part of, and we can’t wait to see this year’s creations!”
“In celebration of our Nation’s 250th Birthday and our 15th anniversary, we’re celebrating the beauty of this country with a beautiful exhibit. Pack your bags, rev your engines, and get ready to hit the open road with Canstruction at Crossgates Mall. Expect to see vehicles of all kinds, landmarks, and some road trip favorites when you visit. Canstruction donations provide invaluable support to local food pantries and those who rely on them in the Capital Region, while also showcasing the deep expertise and unlimited creativity of design firms and contractors from the region,” said Jill Shorter, Capital Region CANstruction President and Director of Marketing at Ryan Biggs Clark Davis Engineering. “The space and staff at Crossgates are vital to the success of the program and they are aligned in our vision. We are excited for thousands of patrons of the mall to see the exhibit over the next two weeks. Market 32 by Price Chopper has provided incredible support to the program since its inception; we are incredibly grateful for their partnership, precision, and philanthropic spirit. Over the last six months, 14 creative and passionate teams have designed an inspiring edible art exhibition by utilizing the same engineering
principles they design essential facilities and infrastructure with. At the conclusion of the event, the colossal structures will be deCANstructed and thousands of food items will be donated back to the local community. We invite all visitors to Crossgates to bring canned goods to vote for People’s Choice to further increase the donation we provide to The Food Pantries- together we CAN make a difference.”
Natasha Pernicka, CEO of The Food Pantries for the Capital District said, “CANstruction is a powerful example of how much we can do when we come together in the fight against hunger. We are incredibly grateful to the region’s design and construction community for collecting much-needed food and helping to heighten awareness of the need for our programs and services. With one in eight Capital Region community members visiting our coalition of 75 food pantries, this makes a huge impact.”
This year’s CANstruction is presented by Market 32 by Price Chopper, Crossgates Mall, with Ryan Biggs Clark Davis Engineering, Envision Architects, and C2 Design Group. Others lending support with generous sponsorships include Arnoff Moving, Storage & Rigging, Camelot Print and Copy Centers, Thompson & Johnson Equipment, Performance Contracting Inc., American Council of Engineering Companies of New York, Eastern Contractors Association, Girls Scouts of Northeastern New York, Mosaic Associates Architects, JMT, Curtis Lumber, DeCrescente Distributors, and CHA.
Since its inception in 2011, the Capital Region event has donated over one million pounds of food and raised more than $470,000 to help fight hunger. The local organization has big goals this year and is trying to break an all-year donation total of $500,000 to The Food Pantries. Each structure will have a poster board explaining the structure before you and containing a QR code for monetary donations. The chapter has consistently attained national recognition, most recently placing fifth in the world for the Most Cash Donated in 2024 and third in the world for Most Food Donated in 2023.
Capital Region CANstruction is part of the international program organized by the Society for Design Administration. CANstruction events are held annually in over 250 cities around the world including North America, Australia, South America, Europe, and Asia.
You can learn more about us at:
Website: https://www.capregcans.com/ | Blog: https://www.capregcans.com/blog
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/CapitalRegionCanstruction?ref=br_tf
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/capitalregioncanstruction/
Hashtag for Event: #thecansareback #greatameriCANroadtrip #capregcans2026
###
About Crossgates Mall
Crossgates is the Capital Region’s premier shopping, dining and entertainment destination offering an impressive selection of national brands and the newest retail concepts. The center is anchored by Macy’s, JCPenney, Dick’s Sporting Goods, Going, Going, Going Gone!, Primark and Best Buy, while offering more than 180 retail shops, including Apple. Crossgates offers 10 entertainment venues and over 20 on-site eateries, such as Dave & Buster’s, Get Air, Billy Beez, Apex Entertainment, Maggie McFly’s and Regal Cinemas with IMAX. Or simply relax at our award-winning day spa, Spa Mirbeau. Located adjacent to a dual-branded 192-room Homewood Suites and Tru by Hilton hotel and a COSTCO Wholesale, Crossgates is your destination to EAT. SHOP. PLAY. STAY. Additional information regarding Crossgates can be found at shopcrossgates.com, Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter.
About Pyramid Management Group, LLC:
Pyramid Management Group, owner of Crossgates, is one of the largest, most innovative, privately-held real estate developers in the northeast. Headquartered in Syracuse, New York, Pyramid’s portfolio of dynamic shopping, dining and entertainment destinations dominate the northeast with 9 properties located throughout New York and Massachusetts. For nearly 50 years, Pyramid has built its reputation on being first, fast, ahead of the curve and always what’s next, leading the industry in combining the best elements of traditional retail with world-class dining and entertainment, all under one roof. For more information, visit www.pyramidmg.com