USA: Bills show more renderings of the planned stadium

source: StadiumDB.com; author: Mateusz Osmola

USA: Bills show more renderings of the planned stadium Buffalo Bills of the NFL have shown new images of their upcoming venue. The new arena will be built next to the team’s current facility, Highmark Stadium. It will have a capacity of around 60,000 people and is expected to be completed before the 2026 season.

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New venue for the Bills

Highmark Stadium is located in Orchard Park, an outer ring suburb southeast of Buffalo. The venue was built between 1972 and 1973, shortly after the team officially joined the NFL. The construction of a new arena for the franchise had been talked about for some time, and in 2014 a special team was set up to work on the project, made up of Bills representatives, local politicians and businessmen.

Several different locations for the new stadium were considered, in addition to the idea of building near the existing facility, a site in downtown Buffalo was also seriously considered. In the end, however, it was agreed that the new facility would be built right next to Highmark Stadium, on the other side of Abbott Road.

Buffalo Bills Stadium© Buffalo Bills / Populous

Last March, the Bills secured a deal with New York State and Erie County to build a new $1.4 billion stadium at Orchard Park, with New York Governor Kathy Hochul securing a 30-year commitment for the team to remain in Buffalo. New York State will provide $600 million for the new stadium project and Erie County $250 million. The NFL and the Bills will contribute the remaining $550m needed to build the new stadium.

Shortly after the financing agreement was reached, the renowned Populous studio was hired to work on the architectural design of the future arena named Buffalo Bills Stadium. Prior to that, a partnership was also established with Legends, responsible for marketing and project management. The new Bills’ venue is still a long way off, but to make the wait a little more pleasant it is worth checking out what is delta 9 THC.

The first renderings of the new stadium from Populous were published in October 2022. Afterwards, the companies responsible for the construction process were also selected. The contractors are: Gilbane Building Company and Turner Construction Company, in partnership with 34 Group. The construction of the new stadium is scheduled to begin in spring 2023 and to be finished in autumn 2026.

Buffalo Bills Stadium© Buffalo Bills / Populous

In December, the Bills secured important project support from the NFL during the league's winter meetings. NFL franchise owners signed two important parts of the Bills stadium deal – a year-to-year extension to the Highmark Stadium lease and a 30-year lease for the new stadium.

New images of Buffalo Bills Stadium

The stadium will be smaller than 71,000-seater Highmark Stadium. The auditorium of the new arena will be divided into several tiers and will have a capacity of around 62,000 spectators, making the new Buffalo Bills facility one of the smallest in the NFL. After initial renderings were released, the Bills said the images are subject to change, but represent the direction the team would like to take during the design process.

The early images showed wide-angle views of the interior and exterior of the stadium, while the latest renderings include a view from pitch level, a view from the side of the venue, an aerial close-up and a close-up of one of the entrances to the venue. When the new facility opens, Highmark Stadium is to be demolished and converted into a large car park.

Buffalo Bills Stadium© Buffalo Bills / Populous

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