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BLEACHERS
People from different places and walks of life sit in bleachers every day. There has been a growing need for stadiums, sports arenas, and gymnasiums since more and more people are steadily getting into sports. While the need for these structures have been addressed by pre engineered metal buildings, bleachers are probably the last and only accessory needed to complete the venue. So whether for a kid’s sports fest or the world cup, bleachers remain a necessity.
Bleachers are often mistaken for stadium seating. The truth is, these seating types are similar but not entirely the same. Bleachers and stadium seating serve different purposes. On some occasions, they can be interchanged, but most of the time, each type is used for the respective events they were made for.
Seating
Bleachers are the tiered metal benches commonly found in football fields. This type of seating makes it possible for a larger number of people to watch the games because the benches are of different height.
A disadvantage of bleachers, however, is that they were designed without back support – they are no more than plain, flat benches to sit or stand on. Since bleachers are commonly used for sporting events that mostly take an hour or so, people have to be comfortable. The lack of back support can be considered as room for movement, for flexibility but on the other hand, it is better to consider that most people would rather be comfortable when watching a game or a show. Then again, one advantage of this type of seating is that it can be collapsed. This happens mostly in cases where bleachers are used indoors, particularly in gymnasiums, where there is a need to make room for other activities.
The main difference between stadium seating and bleachers is that the former provides actual seats with backrests. Stadium seating is set up in a similar tiered, ranked manner but unlike bleachers, stadium seating pertains to separate seats that can be numbered. They are not benches but rather are separate seats that can be numbered and assigned. Just like bleachers, the rows of seats are tiered and gradually get higher.
Covers
Bleachers are made of metal, commonly steel or aluminium, and need virtually no maintenance. This type of seating can be left outside, though needless to say that it is impractical to be brought in storage, because it is built to withstand the different elements. However, bleachers can still be fitted with roofing, rear or end cladding, drop fascias, roof sheeting, or rear sheeting. These cover options provide shelter for the unexpected, usually from rain, when necessary.
Sizing
Just like industrial metal buildings, metal bleachers are also very flexible and easy to customize. Bleachers can be transformed into stadium seating by simply installing seats along the benches.
In terms of capacity, steel bleachers commonly have about 100 or 500 seats. A hundred seats is the practical number that can be transported on a single flat bed truck. Size is actually dependent on the space available within the steel building and the specific need or event.
