Tocci Battles Hunger at ‘CANstruction Boston’ Event
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Tocci team recognized with “Best Meal Award” in 20th annual design-build charitable competition
WOBURN, MA (October 16, 2015) – Tocci Building Companies (Tocci), a Boston-area construction management company and recognized leader in virtual design and construction solutions, announced today that their team recently participated in the 2015 Canstruction Boston competition, the annual charity event hosted by the Boston Chapter of the Society for Design Administration and Boston Society of Architects (BSA). Following the construction of the can sculptures, Tocci was recognized with the “Best Meal Award” during the judging process on Wednesday, October 14th, and will be entered into the international competition. The 20th Annual Canstruction Boston sculptures are housed at the BSA space within Atlantic Wharf and are open to the general public as free art exhibits through Saturday, October 31st, 2015.
Firms in the Greater Boston area built sculptures made entirely of canned goods that will later be donated to help combat hunger. Founded in 1992, Canstruction’s mission is to feed and inspire the world, one can at a time. This community service project benefits countless hungry across the world, as communities in over 150 cities join together to give back. It also focuses on showcasing the creativity of the design industry.
The Tocci construction team included: Mark Herstein, Val Tzvetkov, Jessica Valadares, Grant Giller, Marc Parella, Jared Nicklas, Maria Schneider, Maria Pelaggi, Nat Eames, Xiaoxiao Li, Joe Flaherty, and Maxim Maximovitch.
We were thrilled to participate in Canstruction during its 20th year and receive the “Best Meal Award” recognition. We were honored to compete alongside other talented and creative companies within the design, construction, and engineering fields. Knowing that our participation in the event will make a difference by supporting local food banks is inspiring. On a greater scale, our hope is that events like Canstruction will increase awareness of hunger within our communities, and inspire others to take action by joining similar causes.
Bud LaRosa, Chief Business Performance Officer
Tocci’s sculpture was created using 4,569 canned goods, all of which will be donated to the Merrimack Valley Food Bank. Pastene generously donated 500 cans and Wegmans generously donated 400 cans toward Tocci’s creation.
In 2014, the Boston Canstruction competition donated nearly 24,000 pounds of food from the participating 15 firms to The Merrimack Valley Food Bank. Notably, the fundraiser has supplied 400,000 pounds of food to families in need over the last 20 years. The exhibit showcasing the final structures is open to the public at the BSA space within Atlantic Wharf located at 290 Congress Street in Boston.
During CANstruction, Tocci competed alongside AEC firms such as CBT Architects, Gensler, Prellwitz Chilinski Associates, and several other industry-leading companies. The awards given consisted of: People’s Choice & Structural Ingenuity, Best Use of Labels, Director’s Choice, Best Meal, Honorable Mention, and Juror’s Favorite. At the close of the competition, all of the canned goods will be donated to the Merrimack Valley Food Bank, based out of Lowell, Massachusetts.
About Tocci Building Companies
Tocci Building Companies, a leading construction and project management firm, specializes in Virtual Design and Construction (VDC), Building Information Modeling (BIM), Highly Collaborative Project Delivery (HCPD℠), and Integrated Project Delivery (IPD). Tocci was an early adopter of VDC in the Northeast and in 2006 committed to using it on all projects. In 2008, Tocci built the first IPD project in the Northeast and is now doing IPD across the country.
Tocci provides BIM-enabled building solutions and construction services with a sustainable approach and emphasis on lean construction. Headquartered in Woburn, MA, Tocci has a long history of design/build and highly collaborative delivery in the Northeast and Mid-Atlantic United States. For more information visit www.tocci.com.
About The Boston Chapter of the Society for Design Administration
The Society for Design Administration advances management and administrative professionals in the architectural, engineering, and construction industry through education, networking, and resources.
The Society for Design Administration plays a vital role in a firm’s practice. Since 1966, SDA has pioneered providing continuing education and networking opportunities to administrators in the construction industry. When administrators join the SDA, both the firm and the individual reap the rewards.
SDA offers a Certification Program that includes education in six key administrative disciplines: Finance, Human Resources, Information Technology, Project Management, Office Administration, and Marketing.