SEC Armadillo

SEC Armadillo
The 2k Armadillo
Former names Clyde Auditorium (2000–2017)
Address Finnieston Street
Glasgow
G3 8YW
Scotland
Public transit Exhibition Centre railway station
Owner SEC Ltd.
Capacity 3,000
Construction
Built 1997–2000
Opened 1 January 2000 (2000-01-01)
Construction cost £30 million
Website
Venue Info

The SEC Armadillo[1] (originally known as the Clyde Auditorium) is an auditorium located near the River Clyde, in Glasgow, Scotland. It is one of three venues on the Scottish Event Campus, which includes the SEC Centre and the SSE Hydro.

History

The auditorium viewed from across the Clyde.
The facade of the venue

Plans for a new building to increase the capacity of the SECC complex were initiated in 1997. Designed by architects Foster and Partners, the 2,000 seat venue was completed in 2000, by which time it had earned its affectionate nickname due to the similarity of its shape to that of the animal of the same name. Many comparisons have been made with the Sydney Opera House, although this was not the architects' inspiration for the design, which was in fact an interlocking series of ship's hulls, in reference to the Clyde's shipbuilding heritage. The building has become one of the most recognisable on Clydeside and an iconic image of Glasgow.

It is connected by passageways to the SEC Centre, and the Crowne Plaza hotel for easy access and exit for performers.

Events

The building has held events such as the Scottish auditions of Britain's Got Talent series 2 to 4, the auditions for series 1 to 4 of The X Factor and the Hugo Award ceremony during Interaction, the 63rd World Science Fiction Convention. It is the place where singer Susan Boyle was discovered. The building served as the venue for the weightlifting competitions of the 2014 Commonwealth Games, held in Glasgow. In the Christmas season, the Armadillo is used for pantomimes.

References

  1. ↑ "All change as SECC is renamed the Scottish Event Campus". Evening Times. Newsquest Media Group Ltd. 27 January 2017. Retrieved 27 January 2017.

Coordinates: 55°51′34″N 4°17′17″W / 55.859496°N 4.287962°W / 55.859496; -4.287962

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