SHUPP CANstruction 2026: An Inspiring Day of Creativity, Competition & Community

SHUPP CANstruction 2026
In partnership with Princeton Shopping Center

On June 13, 2026, the Princeton Shopping Center in Princeton, NJ became the stage for a remarkable blend of design, competition, and community service as Send Hunger Packing Princeton (SHUPP) hosted CANstruction 2026—a one-day build event where architecture and design teams transformed canned and boxed goods into large-scale sculptural installations, all in support of local food insecurity efforts.

The event drew participation from several AIA Central NJ member firms and community design teams, each contributing time, creativity, and engineering ingenuity to raise awareness for SHUPP’s mission: ensuring Princeton children and families have consistent access to nutritious food—especially outside of school-provided meals.

Design Meets Purpose

Teams worked throughout the morning hours, beginning at 8:00 AM, with construction wrapping by late morning. By noon, the installations were complete and opened to the public for viewing and judging. The designs showcased both technical skill and storytelling, turning everyday pantry items into architectural-scale expressions of art, culture, and humor.

Awards and Recognitions

The competition featured a range of creative categories, celebrating both technical execution and conceptual imagination:

People’s Choice Awards

#1 – Studio Hillier: StaTUNA of Liberty
#2 – Clarke Caton Hintz: Washington Crossing the Delaware
#3 – KSS Architects: United we CAN

Jury Awards

Best Execution – KSS Architects (United we CAN)
Best Concept – Studio Hillier (StaTUNA of Liberty)
Most Structurally Innovative – Farewell Architects
Most Humorous – Clarke Caton Hintz (Washington Crossing the Delaware)
Best Use of Color – Edens (Ice Cream Cone)
Most Delicious – PCH (highlighting sustainability and food-focused creativity)
Most Patriotic – Team Lion (Washington Crossing the Delaware)
Most Creative – Charter School Team (Rubik’s Cube)

A Shared Mission

Beyond the competition, the event underscored SHUPP’s broader work in addressing food insecurity across Princeton. Over 15% of students in Princeton Public Schools are eligible for free or reduced-price lunch, and while federal programs support weekday meals, gaps remain on weekends, holidays, and summer breaks.

SHUPP continues to address those gaps through:

Fresh produce distribution for food-insecure families
Community gardens open to residents
A vertical farm program in partnership with Princeton Public Schools
School-based snack support for students during the academic day

CANstruction served as both a public-facing celebration and a tangible extension of this mission—turning design work into direct community impact, with all canned goods ultimately redistributed to SHUPP’s outdoor pantries.

Closing Note

What made CANstruction 2026 stand out was not just the creativity on display, but the shared understanding behind it: that design can do more than communicate ideas—it can directly support families.

By the end of the day, the installations were gone, but their impact remained in the form of over 10,000 donated food items and a strengthened connection between the architecture community and the people it serves.