New York Building Shoots to the Sky while Canstruction Blasts to the Stars

By: Helen Hudson

What do the Big Bend and Canstruction have in common? Crazy engineering skills! Find out here about a revolutionary skyscraper and the Canstruction team rocket!

  Architecture firm Oiio Studio has recently proposed the idea of a revolutionary skyscraper to the city of New York: The Big Bend. Consistent with its name, the building will be the longest skyscraper in the world, stretching 4,000 feet, but unlike a typical building, this structure will be curved in half. Planned to be located above Billionaire’s Row in midtown Manhattan, the building will rise from one base, curve in a U shape, and reach the ground again at a second base.                  With New York’s limited space, architects are forced to build upwards instead of outwards. The curved nature of The Big Bend allows the building to follow New York’s zoning laws, which regulate and control limits set on use of land and building sizes, as well as creatively earn the prestigious and noteworthy title of the longest structure in the world.
    The Canstruction team must complete a similarly challenging, yet magnificent feat: creating a structure entirely out of cans that can stand on its own. Four-year Canstruction enthusiast Margie Peeler (12) claims that biggest challenge of this project is “juggling not having enough money for cans while still being able to making it structurally sound.” Each year, teams from high schools across the city come together to create their own structures with thousands of cans that ultimately are donated to the Mid-South Food Bank. This year’s theme is Transportation and the St. Mary’s team is building a rocket titled “Houston We Have a Problem … it’s Hunger.” Competition takes place this Friday, April 7 at East High School, and a few innovative teams will walk away with prizes in the categories of Best Meal, Best Use of Labels, Structural Ingenuity, Juror’s Favorite, People's Choice, and Student's Choice. Sarah Bratton, a member of the Canstruction team, says “The most challenging part was figuring out how to make a sturdy structure so it wouldn't fall and be able to support itself,” which is a key element the designers of The Big Bend will have to perfect.