The Buffalo Bills’ state-of-the-art New Highmark Stadium will feature a unique canopy roof which is designed to protect spectators from heavy snowfall.

The 62,000-seat stadium plan forms part of a $2.1 billion project, with the arena set to be ready for use in time for the 2026 NFL season. Built on a site located opposite the Bills’ existing Highmark Stadium, the construction of the team’s new home first broke ground in 2023.

One of the most remarkable aspects of the design for the Orchard Park, NY arena is its 60-degree roof, which is designed to be provide coverage to 60 percent of the stadium. The roof will also feature what has been described by construction operations manager Joe Byrne as “the world’s largest snow melt system”.

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This V-shaped canopy to be able to withstand the heavy snowfall which the Buffalo area so often experiences. Frank Cravotta, senior vice president of design at the Bills, has also confirmed that the roof would be able to withstand seven feet of snow, while “absolutely” having the capability to melt it.

Previously, franchise chiefs had decided against building a new arena in downtown Buffalo with either a dome or retractable roof. Architects Populous described the design of the canopy roof, saying: “A unifying element, the canopy follows the form of the bowl and exterior facade, dipping down towards the end-zones and rising towards the center.”

Speaking last year at a groundbreaking ceremony, EVP/chief operating officer Ron Raccuia spoke of the stadium’s importance to the Bills’ long-term financial future. He said: “While Buffalo isn’t one of the larger NFL markets, the days of us operating as a small-market team are in the past.

“On the field, we’ve become a national brand, gaining national attention and attracting national opportunities. Our fans stretch across the country and the world, and as an organization, we carry this banner with commitment and pride.”

Meanwhile, NFL commissioner Roger Goodell hailed the project as he predicted it would prove a major success for the Bills. He said: “This is an extraordinary community. They deserve an extraordinary stadium, and you’re going to get it and I think, as western New Yorkers, we’ll all be proud.

“It’ll be not only a great stadium but filled with incredible fans. Western New York has always shown that passion for football, for the Bills. It’s just for us, I don’t think of it as 30 years, I think it as a lifetime.

“I think of it as the future. The Bills are now secured in western New York, and that’s something that we should all take great pride in.”

Likewise, Mary Wilson, the widow of late Bills founder and owner Ralph Wilson, said of the project: ‘”Ralph would be looking down and admire the fact that he got it done, because Ralph was in many negotiations [at the old stadium], and getting that stadium built, a lot of negotiations.

“And also getting improvements to that stadium, a lot of negotiations. So, Ralph would be proud of what they accomplished. … The Bills are never leaving here. The Bills are never leaving western New York.”