For the first time, Saratoga Associates × McLaren Engineering Group are teaming up to support hunger in the Capital Region with a CANstruction 2026 design of the Empire State Plaza. 

This year’s theme, “The AmeriCAN Road Trip”  immediately sparked imagination – and our Capital Region pride. For a team made up of architects, landscape architects, and engineers, the concept of movement, place-making, and iconic destinations felt like the perfect design challenge. Our destination of choice? The Empire State Plaza.

Design Meets Impact

Our structure will reimagine this iconic New York landmark — not in steel or stone, but in cans and non-perishable food items. These everyday materials become the building blocks of a meaningful, large-scale installation that blends:

• Architectural form
• Structural engineering
• Spatial composition
• Creative placemaking
• Public art
• Community storytelling

But the real beauty of CANstruction is what happens after the design.

Once the structure is complete and the exhibition ends, every single can will be deconstructed and distributed to more than 70 food pantries across Albany, Schenectady, Rensselaer, and Saratoga Counties through the Food Pantries for the Capital District.

So yes — it’s design.
Yes — it’s creativity.
Yes — it’s engineering.

But it’s also direct community impact.

At Saratoga Associates and McLaren Engineering Group, giving back to the communities where we live, work, and serve is a part of who we are. We’re proud to design with purpose, build with heart, and create projects that go far beyond the structure itself.

Let’s take this road trip together. 
Let’s design something meaningful.
Let’s build something that feeds our community.

If you’d like to support Team Saratoga Associates × McLaren Engineering Group and donate to the Food Pantries for the Capital District, click here: https://thefoodpantries.app.neoncrm.com/SaratogaMcLaren