Bills' new Highmark stadium designers respond to 'bedpan' criticism

With new Highmark Stadium's shiny, steel canopy in place, project architects are now responding to "fun comparison" criticism from fans.

Construction continues on the Buffalo Bills new stadium, across the street from their current home at Highmark Stadium, in Orchard Park, NY Thursday, July 10, 2025. This is the view from one of the end zone’s looking out into the stadium. | Shawn Dowd/Rochester Democrat and Chronicle / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

While the Buffalo Bills prepare for their final season in old Highmark Stadium, the new building across the street continues to take shape. New Highmark is set to open in 2026 in time for the Bills' season.

New photos of the stadium show off a finished, curved, state-of-the art canopy that will both amplify crowd noise and, get this, melt snow. The completed canopy now wraps around the stadium's perimeter and extends over the interior bowl of seats.

MORE: Bills' new stadium designed with world's largest heated roof to withstand Buffalo snowfall

Designed by Kansas City-based architecture studio Populous, the canopy is heated to melt snow and made of steel and metal to help create even more noise generated by Bills Mafia.

"It will reverberate the crowd noise, intimidate the opposing team and create an NFL gameday energy that will be second-to-none in the league," Populous Americas managing director Jonanthan Mallie says in a new interview.

Construction crews install the first panels on the stadium exterior as work continues on the Buffalo Bills new stadium, across the street from their current home at Highmark Stadium, in Orchard Park, NY Thursday, July 10, 2025. | Shawn Dowd/Rochester Democrat and Chronicle / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

According to Mallie, new Highmark's vibe will be both intimate and intimidating. It will also feature th world's largest and most technically advanced snow melt system to combat Buffalo's 95 inches of annual frozen precipitation.

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When early photos of the steel canopy were made available, some critics suggested new Highmark resembled a hospital "bedpan."

"The public attention always garners fun comparisons during construction, especially with millions of eyes on the stadium design," said Mallie. "Public opinion will continue to evolve on the new stadium until one day when finished, its presence will transform both Buffalo and the NFL."

Construction continues on the Buffalo Bills new stadium, across the street from their current home at Highmark Stadium, in Orchard Park, NY Thursday, July 10, 2025. This is the view from one of the end zone’s looking out into the stadium. | Shawn Dowd/Rochester Democrat and Chronicle / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

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