Pittsburgh Sports
Sports Venues & Stadiums
Part of Pittsburgh's architecture is exemplified by its sports venues including PPG Paints Arena, Acrisure Stadium and PNC Park.
Acrisure Stadium
Home of the Pittsburgh Steelers football team, the stadium was designed by HOK Sports Facilities Group and opened in 2001. The horseshoe-shaped two-tiered stadium offers more intimacy than many NFL venues, with natural grass, great sight lines and a wide-open view of the football action set against the beautiful backdrop of downtown Pittsburgh. There is no such thing as a bad seat in this football-oriented stadium which was obviously designed to take football from a game to an experience. Reflecting Pittsburgh''s steel legacy, steel is a primary building material in Acrisure Stadium. The majority of the steel is silvery grey in color, except for the large gold-painted ''quad pods'' which support the upper deck.
Large masonry anchors Acrisure Stadium, echoing the heavy stone bases of Pittsburgh''s downtown landmarks and bridges, such as the City-County Building and the Allegheny County Court House. Progressing up the stadium facade, the building gradually changes from steel and stone into walls of glass which reflect downtown skyscrapers such as PPG Place and Fifth Avenue Place, both of which are visible from inside the stadium. The 7,100 club seats tucked between the two levels on both sides of Acrisure Stadium offer a fantastic vantage point and access to the two three-story club lounges. These popular lounges feature a wall of glass from floor to ceiling for nearly the entire length of the building.
PPG Paints Arena
A multi-purpose indoor arena which is home to both the National Hockey League's Pittsburgh Penguins and the Area Football League's Pittsburgh Power. Construction was completed in 2010 and PPG Paints Arena is the first LEED® Gold certified major sports venue in the country. The venue seats 18,087 people in honor of Penguins team captain Sidney Crosby's No. 87. The Center uses 40% less water consumption by volume and thanks in part to natural lighting and high-efficiency ventilation, boasts a 31% reduction in energy consumption. As soon as the arena opened in 2010, it was lauded as one of the best in the world, winning both "Best New Major Concert Venue" in the Pollstar Concert Industry Awards and "Best NHL Arena" in the Sports Business Journal reader poll.
Populous, formerly HOK Sport, designers of PNC Park and Acrisure Stadium, designed the building working with local architect Astorino and Oxford Development oversaw the building of the arena. More than a dozen buildings were razed in order to create CONSOL Energy Center.
PNC Park
PNC Park, home to the Pittsburgh Pirates baseball team, opened in spring 2001. It is a classic-style ballpark, an intimate facility that embraces the progressiveness of Pittsburgh while saluting the spirit of early ballpark originals such as Forbes Field, Wrigley Field and Fenway Park. This riverfront facility combines the best features of yesterday's ballparks-rhythmic archways, steel trusswork and a natural grass playing field-with the latest in fan and player amenities and comfort. Its prime location along the shore of the Allegheny River and adjacent to Federal Street takes advantage of scenic vistas of the Downtown skyline and riverfront, as well as pedestrian and riverboat access, creating an exciting and dramatic urban sports venue. PNC Park is approachable and pedestrian in scale. Designed to fit within the existing city grid, it is also oriented to allow a great majority of spectators a spectacular view of the Clemente Bridge and the downtown skyline beyond.
The facility was designed by Hellmuth, Obata and Kassabaum (HOK), Inc. of Kansas City, Missouri. The design and construction management team consisted of a joint venture between Pittsburgh-based Dick Corporation and Barton Malow with offices in Baltimore, MD. The Architect of Record was L.D. Astorino & Associates of Pittsburgh. PNC Park is the first ballpark with a two-deck design to be built in the United States since Milwaukee's County Stadium was completed in 1953. Because of its intimate design, the highest seat is just 88 feet from the field, giving every fan in the park an ideal sight line. PNC Park is named as America's Best Ballpark by TripAdvisor and ESPN.com and among the "Top Ten Best Ballparks in the nation" by FOX Sports.
