Last week
AIA Pittsburgh offered a tour of the new Consol Energy Center through its Young Architects Forum program.
The tour, attended by 60, was led by leaders from Oxford Development, including project manger Mike Bernard, and by Michael Maruschak from Chester Engineers, which is working with Sports & Exhibition Authority on the new hockey arena.
The Sports & Exhibition Authority of Pittsburgh and Allegheny County own the building. Populous (formerly HOK Sport) is the architect of record and PJ Dick/Hunt is the construction manager.
The tour showed off the $321 million, 18,087-seat arena from bottom to top--from the "elephant door" for the circus to the steel beam, signed by Penguins players, high above the uppermost catwalk.
The design features lots of steel and glass, with natural sunlight flooding the expansive, high-ceilinged public spaces. Views of Downtown--including of Mellon Arena (for now)--flash at every turn.
The arena, which is expected to achieve LEED Gold-certification, promises more legroom and more comfortable seats than what's at Mellon Arena. Seat installation started on the upper concourse level last month, and will finish on that level soon. The new arena also has greatly increased restroom capacity.
A major highlight of Consol Energy Center is its lack of obstructed views and its "top down loading" approach. Fans walk down to their seats, rather than up, and will even be able to see the ice as they're waiting in line for concessions. The enormous 15-by-25 foot HD JumboTron helps, too.
Not visible to the game-going fan is a labyrinth of offices, locker rooms and storage areas. The Penguins' locker room features an impressive steam room, and will include rooms for training and hydrotherapy, while the visitors' locker room is much smaller and more basic (at least it's not pink, like University of Iowa's infamous visitors' locker room). There are also two sets of auxiliary locker rooms, which will be used for NCAA and high school finals, meaning that six teams could essentially be at the arena at the same time.
Owner Mario Lemiex's office is understatedly small (he supposedly doesn't spend much time at his desk, Maruschak says), but Suite 66, named after Lemiex's longtime number, will be as ornate as anything. Situated directly next to the players' tunnel to the bench, the seating area will be reserved primarily for major sponsors.
The arena should be completed by August 1.
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Writer: Caralyn Green
Source: Michael Maruschak, Chester Engineers
Photograph copyright Caralyn Green