HOUSTON, TX — VLK Architects employees participated as the Professional Mentor to Bridgeland High School students of Cypress-Fairbanks Independent School District for the 25th Annual CANstruction Houston Competition and Exhibition. The VLK Architects and Bridgeland High School CANstruction Houston team received three awards: the People’s Choice, Most Cans, and Best Meal.

CANstruction, Inc. was founded in 1992 and now has competitions in 200 participating cities. Professionals from the architecture, engineering, and construction industries team up to showcase the talents of design and construction industry professionals and students they mentor in this annual event. All proceeds are donated to benefit the Houston Area Food Bank (HAFB).

“Stop Hunger” was the 2021 competition’s overall theme, and “Good Night Hunger” was the theme of the VLK Architects and Bridgeland HS team’s structure. They used over 6,900 taco-inspired canned food items to feature the story behind Vincent Van Gogh’s painting, Starry Night. The team members found Van Gogh inspiring due to his ability to look past his hospital room’s barred windows to see the true beauty of the night sky.

“Couldn’t be prouder of Bridgeland High School for all their hard work,” said Krista Thomas, Captain of the VLK Architects/Bridgeland HS team. “The students helped by solving some design challenges and also helped collaborate ideas to make our CANsculpture come to life. We are ecstatic to have been able to help the Houston Food Bank. We hope that through this event, we can impact the lives of those in our surrounding community.”

The competition had 16 team structures on display at Understory in downtown Houston. Every canned food item used in this competition was donated to the Houston Area Food Bank.