New Buffalo Bills Stadium to break ground soon

BY LISA KOPOCHINSKI

Buffalo Bills fans are eagerly awaiting the new state-of-the-art Bills Stadium that is currently under construction.

With the ground-breaking on the horizon, this $1.4 billion venue in Orchard Park will pay homage to the historic architecture of Buffalo while delivering a modern design when completed in April 2026.

In March, the Bills reached an agreement with New York State and Erie County to build this new 60,000-seat stadium with 60 suites. New York Governor Kathy Hochul secured a threedecade commitment for the team to stay in Buffalo.

News reports have stated that New York State is committing $600 million towards the project, and Erie County will contribute $250 million. The remaining $550 million will be provided by the NFL and the Bills.

Known for its dynamic fan base, the new stadium will be located directly across from Highmark Stadium, the current home of the Bills that was built in 1973.

“The new stadium is being built for Buffalo, for the community and for the Bills,” said John Polka, executive director of stadium operations. “The project team has done a tremendous job in understanding what’s important to Buffalo and marrying that with their expertise and innovative new stadium design. The level of detail and thoughtfulness going into the design of every aspect of the new stadium is incredible.”

Legends Project Development is leading project management efforts, Populous is lead designer and architect and Gilbane Building Company and Turner Construction Company are construction managers.

“They have been critical toward our goal of planning and constructing a fan-focused, football-first facility that will deliver an experience unlike any other in the NFL,” Polka said. “Each firm is first-class with incredible expe- rience, success and understanding of stadium development.”

Innovative Design

Legends Project Development and design and architecture firm Populous have created a design that delivers an atmosphere for football that is both intimate and intimidating.

“The stadium will create a new place to foster the iconic culture of the Bills’ fan base, while creating an exciting vision for the future of the franchise and the community,” said Populous senior principal Scott Radecic.

The new stadium won’t have a roof but will feature an inside bowl and stacked seating design to provide some protection from the wind and snow that can be prevalent in Buffalo during the winter.

Populous’ wealth of knowledge around designing football stadiums— that leverage the weather to create a home team advantage—allows for the creation of an open-air stadium in a cold climate. This experience-based approach has allowed the firm to design a stadium with an emphasis on game day that is grounded in Buffalo Bills football.

“Our approach to the design takes its cues from the historic architecture in Buffalo and merges their protection of strength with modern materials and a building form that is set to create an intimate and intimidating football-first environment,” explains Jonathan Mallie, Populous senior principal.

With a 360-degree canopy, the stadium’s iron-spot brick cladding at the entry level and perforated metal panels will allow fans to get a glimpse of the action inside.

Bills executive vice-president and chief operating officer Ron Raccuia recently told Buffalo Sports Radio WGR that the canopy surrounding the stadium will cover 65 per cent of all seats and help mitigate wind for fans. There will also be extensive radiant heating in place to ensure fans are comfortable.

The perimeter of the stadium will include a colonnade featuring ironspot brick panels that rise and clad the building to varying degrees of height, further creating a grounded sense. The lighter weight perforated metal panels above will create a sense of fluidity and movement as they traverse the upper levels of the stadium.

Gilbane Building Company and Turner Construction Company—in association with 34 Group—are providing construction management services for the new stadium.

What is also interesting is that Gilbane Building Company and Turner Construction have renovated and/or built 16 NFL stadiums, and 34 Group was founded by former Bills running back Thurman Thomas.

“Our goal is to create a fan-focused, football-first facility that will deliver a vibrant game day atmosphere unlike any other in the NFL,” said Chad McFadden, spokesperson for the Gilbane | Turner joint venture. “The guest expe- rience will be greatly enhanced in the new stadium and offer an atmosphere that provides increased fan comfort and amenities while preserving the uniquely Buffalo outdoor game day environment.”

Fan seating in the stadium will offer a mixture of general seating, club seating, premium seating and suite offerings, as well as standing room only and party decks.

There will also be wider concourses, elevated food and beverage offerings, modern entertainment technologies and improved entry and exit provisions. Amenity spaces will wrap the perimeter of the main and upper concourses to provide wind and weather protection for patrons, as well as open views to the field.

In addition to NFL games and other sporting events, the stadium will be designed and built to accommodate multi-purpose events such as concerts, community events and programs, including small scale gatherings and events and potentially high school and college soccer matches.

“We have held outreach and information sessions in the community and have shared early opportunities for work on the project for vendors, suppliers and contractors,” said Gilbane | Turner spokesperson Christopher McFadden in a statement earlier this year. “We are committed to making this an open and inclusive process and encourage New York State-certified minority-, women- and disabled veteran-owned and local businesses to participate.”

A Gathering Place

On the northeast grounds of the stadium, Populous and the Bills are creating a greeting area outside the stadium walls unofficially known as “The Family Circle” that will feature a larger-thanlife sculpture of the American bison.

In a statement, Raccuia said the stadium will be a gathering place for the entire city of Buffalo and he envisions thousands of individuals being attracted to the area for its fun party atmosphere.

Gilbane Building Company senior vice-president John LaRow told media that “this new NFL stadium will be a proud representation of the energy, passion and dedication of the Bills organization, the team, its fans and the City of Buffalo.”

Turner Construction vice-president and general manager Carlton E. Stewart added that “the stadium will elevate the fan experience for this incredible team and will create opportunities and engagement for members of the community during construction. This project is monumental to New Yorkers and Bills fans.”

The subcontractors that worked on the project were Woodsmith Fence Corp., PJP Installers Inc., New York State Fence Inc., Furguson Electric / E-J Electric JV, Frey Electric Construction Co. Inc., O’Connell Electric Company Inc., Mark Cerrone Inc., Kandey Company Inc., Pinto Construction Services Inc., Kiewit Infrastructure Co., Rodriguez Construction Group, Scott Lawn Yard, Inc., L.M. Sessler Wrecking & Excavating Inc., Beaver Excavating Company, Union Concrete & Construction Corp., Otis Elevator, KONE Inc. and Schindler Elevator Company. u