SLU Students to Build 'Eats Bridge' for Operation Food Search's CANstruction

SLU Students to Build 'Eats Bridge' for Operation Food Search's CANstruction

CANstruction Build Day Is Sunday, April 12, at Plaza Frontenac

A team of students from Saint Louis University's American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) chapter will build a bridge out of canned goods as part of Operation Food Search's inaugural CANstruction event.

Operation Food Search provides food, nutrition education and innovative programs in order to reduce food insecurity and increase equitable access to food. OFS serves more than 200,000 people every month in 24 counties in Missouri and Illinois.

CANstruction St. Louis 2026 features five teams of architects, engineers, contractors, designers, and students using more than 20,000 unopened cans of food to create large-scale sculptures. The teams will build their structures on-site Sunday, April 12, at Plaza Frontenac. Once complete, the structures will remain on display through April 24.

The team from SLU's School of Science and Engineering is the only student team.

Participants and their sculptures include:

• Arcturis, "Chef Octopus"
• Casco, Dierbergs, Paric, "Ode to Mo-Bot"
• HOK, "'We Can-Do It' Rosie"
• Integrate Construction Partners, Lawrence Group, New+Found, "The Jewel Box"
• Saint Louis University, "The Eats Bridge"

Sophomore Aureous Ifabiyi-Chope and junior Kelly Tuong came up with the design, based on the Eads Bridge. They will be aided by three other members of ASCE during the Build Day. The team had one practice build, held in the warehouse at Operation Food Search, to perfect their timing and technique.

Ifabiyi-Chope, who grew up in Memphis, said he came to SLU for opportunities like this, getting hands-on experience in engineering, starting from his first class. "Civil engineering has a large impact in mundane ways people don't think about," Ifabiyi-Chope said. "Roads and highways are everywhere."

This isn't the first time ASCE members have used canned goods in a design. The group participates yearly in the Golf and Give Innovation Challenge, where they have constructed a miniature golf hole out of non-perishable food items.

CANstruction will test ASCE on a much larger scale -Tuong said the Eats Bridge will be six feet tall.

A team of judges will evaluate the designs. Awards will be given for Best Original Design, Structural Ingenuity, Best Use of Labels, and Most Cans Used. There will also be a People's Choice Award where the public can vote for their favorite. Voting will be by QR Code, which will be found on signage at Plaza Frontenac.

The designs will be on display for viewing during mall hours between Sunday, April 12, and Friday, April 24. When the exhibition concludes, every can used in the sculptures will be donated to Operation Food Search to help feed families across the St. Louis region.

An awards ceremony will be held on Sunday, April 26.

CANstruction Build Day

• When: 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. Sunday, April 12
• Where: First floor of Plaza Frontenac, 1701 S. Lindbergh Blvd, St. Louis, MO, 63131
• SLU's spot: Outside of Nieman Marcus