CONSOL Energy Center, the new home of the Pittsburgh Penguins, was named Best Sports/Entertainment project at the 2011 edition of ENR New York Best Projects competition. Canam Group, through its InteliBuild and Structal-Heavy Steel Construction business units, participated in the construction of the 19,000-seat arena. Consol Energy Center is the first sports facility owned by an NHL team to obtain LEED Gold level certification.
This prestigious award represents recognition from industry peers of the ingenuity of the construction teams that executed the project. The challenge rested not only in building the state-of-the-art 720,000 sq. ft. (66,890 m2) arena up to the expectations of its owners in terms of functionalities and renewable energy, but also to finalize the project in time for the start of the 2010-2011 hockey season.
The solid relationship between all project partners allowed the different trades to follow the fast pace of the project schedule. The involvement of Canam Group business units in the pre-construction phase also streamlined raw materials orders. In addition, thanks to the use of a BIM model, clash detections resulted in fewer requests for information (RFIs) and faster drawing approvals.
Some of the arena's architectural characteristics include a 100-ft. (30.5 m) atrium featuring a magnificent curved spine glass and steel wall that provides a spectacular view of both the grand staircase entrance and downtown Pittsburgh. A detailed technical description of the arena's construction and a list of the key players are presented in the November issue of ENR New York magazine.
Congratulations to all the teams that contributed to this outstanding project!
Honorific plaque presented to the project winning team.