Seating Chart

Stadium Timeline
June 18, 1999	Groundbreaking
July 1999	Foundation construction begins
January 2000	Steel construction begins
August 2001	Stadium opening
General Information/Facts
Owner:	Sports & Exhibition Authority of Pittsburgh and Allegheny County
Developer:	Pittsburgh Steelers
Events:	Pittsburgh Steelers Football
	University of Pittsburgh Football
	Concerts
	Public Assembly
Architect:	HOK Sports Facilities Group
Construction Manager:	Huber, Hunt, & Nichols/Mascaro
Seating Capacity:	65,000 seats*
Club Seating:	6,600*
Luxury Suites:	1,500* (127 suites)
Building Square Footage:	1.49 million sq. ft.**
Design Features:	South End Plaza
	Great Hall - retail/entertainment area
	Horseshoe shaped stadium with south end open and on axis with Point State Park
Number of Club Lounges:	One on each end of the east and west sidelines, each designed as a three story atrium space with a large bar, beverage kiosks, specialty food stands and a video wall. Opportunities exist to convert the lounge into banquet space for large or small gatherings.
Restroom Facilities
Restroom Facilities (Including Club):	25 Women, 25 Men
Public Restrooms:	343 lavatories
Toilet Fixtures:	520 water closets
	344 urinals
Concessions
Number of Concession Stands:	32
Retail Stores:	Team Store
Number of Novelty Stands:	9 novelty stands
Locker Rooms
Steelers:	6,000 square feet (60 lockers)
Panthers:	4,600 square feet (95 lockers)
Visiting NFL Lockers:	2,600 square feet (60 lockers)
Visiting College Lockers:	2,600 square feet (60 lockers)
Vertical Transportation
Elevators:	7 passenger elevators
	2 freight elevators
Escalators:	2
Pedestrian Ramps:	4
First Aid	Minimum 1 on each level
Audio/Video
Television Sets:	over 400
Video Walls:	2
Scoreboard Video Display:	48 feet x 27 feet minimum
	96 feet x 27 feet expansion capability
Playing Field
Natural Grass Playing Surface:	2.04 acres (excluding warming track)
Sideline to First Row Spectator:	60 feet
End Zone to First Row Spectator:	25 feet
Heated
Converts Between College/NFL Field Requirements
Construction Details
Cast in Place Concrete:	48,000 cubic yards
Amount of Structural Steel:	12,000 tons
Augercast Piles:	10,442 lineal feet
Number of Doors:	1100
Miles of Railings:	7 miles
Drainage, Irrigation and Heating Pipes Under the Field:	1.85 miles
Truck Docks:	4
Trash/Recycle Docks:	2

Public-Private Financing The Steelers paid $123 million and $158 million was paid by the state, through parking and amusement/entertainment taxes, and the Regional Asset District. Heinz, a Pittsburgh company since 1869, paid $57 million for a 20-year naming rights contract. Award-Winning Design The structural engineer involved in construction of Heinz Field won the National Engineering Excellence Award for the design of the stadium. The stadium was built with 12,500 tons of exposed steel, a natural choice for the home of the Steelers. That's enough steel to make about 17,000 mid-size cars. The south end of the stadium is open, revealing beautiful views of the city's three rivers and downtown skyline. A scenic riverwalk connects the stadium with the city's new baseball stadium, PNC Park. The Coca-Cola Great Hall The 40,000-square-foot Coca-Cola Great Hall, located on the ground and main levels on the east side of Heinz Field, is a concession and retail mecca with bright lights and lots of color. Concession names are clever puns - want to buy a beer at First Round Draft? Twenty-foot-high reproductions of the Steelers' four Super Bowl trophies, team jerseys and other team memorabilia, trivia and games line the walls of the Great Hall. A giant Steelers helmet, with a big inset video screen, is suspended from the ceiling. The Steelers Hall of Fame is displayed within 18 glass-enclosed old lockers saved from the old Three Rivers Stadium. Visitors can stroll down the Steelers' memory lane by gazing at photos of past Steelers greats. A portable stage with seating for 220 people projects movies about the Steelers, the fans and Pittsburgh. The stage is also used for local bands before and after games. Comparison to Three Rivers Stadium The new scoreboard is 96 feet wide and 27 feet tall - three times bigger than the old scoreboard. Ticket holders have complained that the scoreboard, even at its huge size, cannot be seen from many seats. Those fans miss out on instant replays, team and player statistical information and interactive games such as trivia and give-aways. Each seat in the new stadium has a cup holder. However, fans have said this amenity is less than ideal because they are not big enough to hold plastic bottles. A patio area underneath the scoreboard is a place for fans to gather and be close to the action in the end zone, regardless of where their assigned seats are. Because the stadium is built primarily of steel, rather than concrete like at Three Rivers, it sways as people move on it. This "deflection" is intentional, as the structure must give a little so it doesn't break. Carefully-Planned Food Choices Aramark, the food service company at Heinz Field, surveyed football fans before finalizing the stadium's menu. Generally, results of the survey weren't surprising - fans are looking for a cold beer and a really good hot dog. Nachos were the number three pick. People also wanted a variety though, particularly for the club and suite seats, so other choices will include stir-fry and waffles, but no sushi. University of Pittsburgh The University of Pittsburgh Panthers football team also plays at Heinz Field. The two teams have separate locker rooms, but share the training rooms, showers and bathrooms. On Panther game days, the interior of the bowl will look like the stadium belongs to the Panthers rather than the Steelers. The signage and wall padding will be all Pitt.