Choosing the best seating solution is critical for those who visit your outdoor athletic facility to have an enjoyable experience. The seating you choose impacts both the overall design and appearance of your sports arena and what type of experience visitors have during an event.
In most settings, there are two main types of bleacher seating types to consider: concrete bleachers and aluminum bleachers. Both concrete and aluminum bleachers have their own benefits and drawbacks to consider for different installation settings. Therefore, it is important to investigate both options thoroughly to determine which option is best for your setting.
Concrete Bleachers
Concrete bleachers are permanent or semi-permanent seating fixtures made of high-grade concrete. These bleachers can either be constructed on-site using forms and structural supports or prefabricated off-site and moved into place on a field or even indoors in a gym piece by piece. Most often, concrete bleachers are an option for sports arenas or fields, but they are occasionally implemented for larger-scale sports or spectator settings.
Concrete bleachers are durable because of the solid-state and weather-resilience of the materials, and they do have a sturdy structure. In general, concrete bleachers can be a little cheaper where materials are concerned. However, these bleachers are also time-intensive and labor-intensive to have installed because of the sheer volume of work that goes into erecting them.
Concrete bleachers are a relatively permanent solution for seating because the heavy materials can be so difficult to demolish and remove. Additionally, concrete bleachers can require more long-term maintenance. The material is resilient but may require ongoing upkeep with sealants and paint to protect the smooth finish as the years go by. This can be especially true in areas that are prone to a lot of precipitation or in areas of the bleachers themselves that sustain a great deal of foot traffic.
Aluminum Bleachers
Aluminum bleachers are a fully customizable seating solution for sports arenas, gyms, and outdoor areas for spectator events. The bleachers can either be prefabricated and set up on-site or completely customized and erected on-site. Aluminum bleachers offer versatility; you have access to a number of different framing and structure designs, such as angle-frame, I-beam, elevated, non-elevated, and portable bleachers.
When bleacher designs are planned for any specific area outdoors, soil load-bearing volume is tested to ensure the ground can withstand the force of the installed units. One of the major perks of aluminum bleachers is the fact that they can be installed quickly, but they can also be versatile enough to work out for all viewing settings, even those with large or especially small crowds.
A major benefit to consider is that aluminum bleachers are fully configurable. You can easily pull together multiple features to make sure the seating works out well for every visitor scenario. For example, if you need bleachers that offer wheelchair accessibility, ramps, walkway aisles, or otherwise, that can be accomplished. Additionally, aluminum seating setups meld well with either outlying features, such as press boxes, team benches, or box seating areas.
While both concrete and aluminum bleachers have their advantages, aluminum bleachers tend to be the most desirable option. Aluminum bleachers offer cost-effectiveness for organizations of all sizes, they offer durable seating that’s customizable for unique scenarios, and they also ensure long-term satisfaction with the seating solution.
Aluminum is also far easier to maintain compared to concrete bleachers; there is no sealing, painting, or time-consuming cleaning involved. The finish of aluminum can look just as good as the first day of installation with a little general cleaning a few times per season.
This article is courtesy of GT Grandstands, which has been a leading designer/manufacturer of grandstands and bleacher seats for all applications of spectator seating for more than 20 years, www.gtgrandstands.com.
