Uncanny creativity

For the third year in a row, Dalhousie engineering students have defied gravity — and expectations — with an uncanny contribution to Canstruction Nova Scotia.

Mentored by Associate Professor Yi Liu, the civil engineering team won the structural ingenuity award and Halifax Shopping Centre people's choice award for their contribution, "The Curl," assembled using 2,000 cans of tuna.

Nineteen teams participated in the exhibitions, which were held at different shopping centres in the province earlier this fall. Feed Nova Scotia collected more than 48,000 cans of food and $30,000 in donations through the exhibition.

Shoppers knelt on the floor to try and figure out how the cans were held in place for "The Curl." Although somewhat unassuming, the structure was appreciated for its flowing lines and the complexity of its design.

The Curl You may not have heard of all the curls of the world, That arise in demand over our great global land; A little child’s curls with their ruffles and whorls, Put joy in our hearts much more than a grand; We will not forget the young children with curls, And the hurt hunger causes in their little world. — Yi Liu, Associate Professor, Civil Engineering

A poem by Dr. Liu accompanied the structure, ending with, “We will not forget the young children with curls/And the hurt hunger causes in their little world.”

It was an intense project for busy students and a busy professor. Team members included students Josh DeYoung, Alan Daniel Grant, Sandra Soon, Lynsey Poushay, Sabine Strohan, Susan Tibbo, Julie Briand, Dane George and engineering technician Mark MacDonald. 

“It gives the students a sense of awareness of the needs within the community, and their responsibilities toward helping to solve problems in society, in this case, hunger,” says Dr. Liu.

“Feed Nova Scotia is a good cause, and we all have fun as a team. This competition also pushes us to think of structural designs we would never be able to work on in the normal course of our education and careers.”

The team's sponsor is the Canadian Institute of Steel Construction (CISC-ICCA), which provided the donations toward the purchase of the cans of food. Maritime Paper donated the cardboard used for templates for the structure.

Canstruction is a design/build competition in which teams create amazing structures using only canned food materials. The structures are completely self-supporting, with no framework or other structural supports. This ingenious event showcases the remarkable talent and creativity within the community, and it helps to fight hunger. 

The entries are judged by a peer panel of distinguished members of the community. Photos of the winning entries are sent to an international competition, where they will compete with structures from over 100 cities throughout North America. 

In 2005, Dalhousie's civil engineering team, led by Dr. Liu, received an honorable mention in the International Canstruction competition held in Los Angeles.

SEE: Canstruction Nova Scotia 2007 exhibition