CLEVELAND — Some of Cleveland’s best architects and designers spent the day on Edgewater Beach to see who can build the best sandcastle.
It's all part of the 2019 SandFest.
This event, which also includes a beach volleyball tournament and cornhole, is really all about the sandcastle building contest, but it's also a way for people to connect and interact with others in their community.
SandFest is hosted by Cleveland’s chapter of the American Institute of Architects.
Fourteen teams made up of contractors and employees from local design firms go head to head, to impress the judges in the sandcastle contest.
Everyone starts with the same sized pile of sand, with about seven hours to put it all together.
This year in addition to the judges, the public were able to vote for their favorite with a text message.
Organizers say this event gives people the chance to talk directly with local contractors and architects not just about those sandcastles, but about the work they do in the community.
"Many of the teams that people at the beach are involved in some iconic Cleveland commissions. So when people drive around town, and they see a sight that's under construction, most recently like Progressive Field, or now Quicken, there's a lot of interesting projects that happen around town. People don't often know that there's Cleveland firms involved in all of that,” Wayne Mortensen, AIA Cleveland, said.
All of the proceeds from SandFest are going to the ACE Mentor program, encouraging the next generation to get interested and excited about potentially starting a career in architecture or design.
