Pittsburgh Steelers Training Complex

As any devoted fan knows, the football season doesn’t really begin with the sharp sound of a whistle or a cleated foot launching the ball downfield.  The football season begins months before in the weight room and the video room. Teams build championship campaigns in pre-season training, long prior to the televised kickoff at the 35 yard line.

In 2016, the Pittsburgh Steelers overhauled their offseason training facility, the newly-named UPMC Rooney Sports Complex.

UPMC Rooney Sports Complex’s new features included a modern hydrotherapy facility and 40 yards of indoor turf. Those innovative details placed this facility among the most state-of-the-art in the NFL. Rightfully, though, the massive two-floor weight training and conditioning arena stood out as the new facility’s centerpiece.

Pittsburgh construction firm Mascaro recognized the need for a secure stairway to connect both floors of treadmills, chest presses, calf raises, and kettle bells. The handrail to accompany this highly-trafficked stairway needed to be world class.

Every railing system must be secure to protect visitors. However, the railing system at UPMC Rooney Sports Complex needed to be sturdy enough to protect football players, who are significantly stronger than the average person.

This world class railing system also needed to meet a tight timeline. Athletes, coaches, and managers all knew the importance of training where you are familiar and comfortable.  Naturally, the Steelers wanted to train for the 2016-2017 football season in their newly-upgraded home facility.

Mascaro and the Pittsburgh Steelers stakeholders auditioned a few other handrails for this important staircase. The wire infills of these alternatives were produced by wrapping wire mesh around the infill frame. Both the style and most importantly — the security— of this method proved insufficient.

For a truly world class railing system, Mascaro and the Steelers brought in HDI.

HDI and the clients collaborated to choose the Circum railing system with a woven mesh infill. As a contrast to their competitors, HDI woven infills are secured by threading the woven infill into precisely drilled holes in the frame. This technique creates a more aesthetically-clean appearance and a more durable product.

The strong, classic Circum Railing System provided both the style and safety the client demanded.

In order to ensure the Steelers players could train in their home facility, HDI went the extra mile. The Lancaster manufacturer dispatched an experienced HDI installer to the Pittsburgh construction site. Working alongside the Mascaro installers, the HDI expert provided knowledge and hands-on assistance. His expertise kept the project moving forward.

With the project finished, Mascaro and Steeler’s executives examined the construction—piece by piece.

The finished Circum railing system impressed Mascaro and the Pittsburgh Steelers. The sharp, geometric lines and classic aesthetic style. The striking, durable wire mesh infill. The strength of stainless steel construction.

Mascaro Project Executive John West wrote to HDI to convey his appreciation.

“The railing system that you designed and fabricated is both structurally and architecturally appropriate for an NFL Team Weight Room. Your railing system fit like a glove.” West wrote. “I look forward to working with you in the future.”

When the Steelers kicked off their 2016-2017 campaign against the Washington Redskins, world class railing systems couldn’t have been further from their minds. Yet all summer long, without a single day lost to construction, the Steelers trained safely at home in the UPMC Rooney Sports Complex. They appreciated that.

HDI felt proud to contribute.

Contact us to bring a world class railing system to your construction project.