Consol Energy Center - Design and Construction

Design and Construction

Populous, formerly HOK Sport, designers of PNC Park and Heinz Field, designed the building, while the ICON Venue group and Oxford Development oversaw the building of the arena. More than a dozen buildings were razed in order to create room for the new arena. On April 8, 2008, Populous presented design renderings to the Pittsburgh City Planning Commission, receiving negative feedback. Local architect Rob Pfaffmann went so far as to say, "If I put a Home Depot sign on that, it looks like a Home Depot." Populous returned on May 6 with new plans, which were unanimously approved by the City Planning Commission.

"This is going to be, technologically, one of the most advanced buildings in the country."

The Penguins have contacted the Pittsburgh Technology Council, which includes 1,400 businesses, in order to find new technologies to implement into the arena's design. On demand replays from touch-screens will be available in luxury suites, while "Yinz Cam"—a system developed by Carnegie Mellon University students—will allow any fans to view instant replays from multiple angles on their cell phones. The arena's capacity will be 18,087 for hockey, in honor of Sidney Crosby's number 87, and 19,000 for basketball games. The venue will hold 14,536 to 19,758 for concerts, depending on the layout. The venue will also include 2,000 club seats and 66 suites, in honor of Mario Lemieux's number 66. Ticket prices will range from $115,000 to $150,000 per season for luxury boxes to individual game tickets at $22. Ken Sawyer, Penguins' chief executive officer, has asked that the interior be modeled after Jobing.com Arena in Phoenix. "I was just taken aback by their seats," said Sawyer, "Even when I was up in a high level, I had a great view." NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman called the building "very well designed." Bettman liked the size of the concourses and the view offered of Pittsburgh's skyline.

Mario Lemieux along with officials from the state and local governments ceremonially broke ground on a new hockey arena on August 14, 2008. Shovels, with shafts made from team captain Sidney Crosby's used hockey sticks, were used for the ground-breaking ceremony. Erection of structural steel took place from January 2009 to August 2009.

The arena is named for Consol Energy, the largest producer of bituminous coal in the United States, which signed a 21-year agreement with the Penguins in December 2008. Secondary sponsors of the arena will be PNC Wealth Management, UPMC, Verizon, American Eagle Outfitters, and Dick's Sporting Goods, the last three being existing sponsors carrying over from the Civic Arena.

Consol Energy Center is one of the only major sports venues whose soft drink contract isn't with Coca-Cola or Pepsi. (Coca-Cola previously held the contract with Civic Arena.) Instead, Dr Pepper Snapple Group holds a contract, and serves its own products such as RC Cola, Diet Rite, Cherikee Red, and Sunkist Orange Soda, in addition to its more popular brands such as Dr Pepper, 7 Up, and A&W Root Beer that are typically sold alongside Coke or Pepsi products in other venues. As Heinz Field sells Coke products and PNC Park sells Pepsi products, this makes Pittsburgh's three major sporting venues each selling different soft drinks. In 2012, Heinz Field joined PNC Park in pouring Pepsi products, breaking a 50-year commitment with Coca-Cola. The final years of the Civic Arena were without a pouring rights contract due to its impending demolition. In this time, Coke retained pouring rights in fountains (seemingly due to the cost of a large scale changeover) and Dr Pepper/7up products were exclusively sold in bottles. This is one of the few times that a venue this large has sold products from competing soft drink companies.