The Buffalo Bills’ new stadium is designed with the world’s largest heated roof to withstand

On By Littum

The Buffalo Bills’ new stadium in Orchard Park, NY is about half-built, with an expected opening in time for the 2026 NFL season.

The new stadium is being built next to the existing Highmark Stadium (which was originally named Rich Stadium, then renamed Ralph Wilson Stadium), which the Bills have called home since 1973.

There was initial consideration to build the new stadium in downtown Buffalo and with a dome or a retractable roof, but both ideas were shelved after extensive cost evaluations would have made such a location and roof impossible for the local Buffalo community.

The price of the New Highmark Stadium has grown to over $2.1 billion perJohn Wawrow of the Associated Press. This is over half a billion dollars more than the originally approved price tag, with team owners Terry and Kim Pegula responsible for financing the additional $560 million.

RELATED: The cost of the new Bills stadium soars to over $2 billion

One of the reasons for avoiding a dome on the new structure was the ability to handle Buffalo’s massive annual snowfall, on average 92 inches per year due to the traditional lake-effect snow belts with cold winds from the west moving across the relatively warm Great Lakes.

Instead, Popular designed the new structure with a 360-degree canopy roof that covers over 60% of the stadium seats to limit the impact of wind and other weather on fans in their seats. As Populous says: “A unifying element, the canopy follows the shape of the bowl and the outer facade, dipping down towards the end zones and rising towards the centre.”

But how will the canopy hold up to Buffalo winters and lake-effect snowfall?

The canopy roof is designed with an innovative snow melting system that prevents the roof from collapsing under the weight of the snow. Stadium Construction Operations Manager Joe Byrne describes it as “the world’s largest snowmelt system.” The sensors in the roof monitor the weather, and the V-shaped canopy structure allows the heated canopies to safely melt away dangerous snow levels.

Frank Cravotta, Senior Vice President of Design at the Buffalo Bills and the team’s head of stadium design, confidently stated that even if the snowfall is “a seven-footer…yeah, it’s absolutely going to melt it.”

A few facts sore new Highmark Stadium:

In March 2025, the new stadium is expected to be ready for the integration of a new grass field that will be installed and ready for opening day in the fall of 2026. The natural grass field will also be heated.