SSE Hydro

The SSE Hydro is a multi-purpose indoor arena located within the Scottish Event Campus in Glasgow, Scotland. The arena was initially named The Hydro after its main sponsor, energy company Scottish & Southern Energy subsidiary Scottish Hydro. The company then re-branded itself and its subsidiary companies as SSE, however the Hydro name was retained despite it no longer being a trading name. The arena was designed by the London-based architects Foster + Partners and officially opened on 30 September 2013, with a concert by Rod Stewart.[1]

"The Hydro" redirects here. For the Tasmanian electrical power authority known by that name, see Hydro Tasmania.

SSE Hydro
The Hydro
Former namesScotland's National Arena (planning)
Scottish Hydro Arena (construction)
AddressExhibition Way
SEC
Glasgow
G3 8YW
LocationGlasgow, Scotland, UK
Coordinates55.860297°N 4.284926°W / 55.860297; -4.284926
Public transitExhibition Centre railway station
OwnerSEC Ltd
OperatorAEG Live
Capacity14,300
Construction
Broke groundFebruary 2011
Built2011–2013
Opened30 September 2013 (2013-09-30)
Construction cost£125 million
ArchitectFoster and Partners
Project managerTurner & Townsend
Structural engineerArup Group Limited
General contractorLend Lease
Website
www.thessehydro.com

In 2016 the arena handled 751,487 ticket sales; making it the eighth-busiest music arena in the world in terms of ticket sales. It also hosted the UFC's first event in Scotland – an event which was impossible to hold in any other arena in the country.[2]

Background

The new SSE Hydro arena is located adjacent to the SEC Centre and the SEC Armadillo and hosts international musical stars, global entertainment and sporting events; with a capacity of 14,300 and aims to attract one million visitors each year.[1]

World's Busiest Arenas – 2018[3]
Venue 2018 Ticket sales for concerts/shows
Madison Square Garden Arena, New York, USA 1,155,480
The Forum, Inglewood, USA 1,119,313
WiZink Center, Madrid, Spain 1,118,706
The SSE Hydro, Glasgow, Scotland 1,040,956
AccorHotels Arena, Paris, France 938,771
Little Caesars Arena, Detroit, USA 845,651
Manchester Arena, Manchester, England 822,155
Barclays Center, Brooklyn, USA 816,980
Wells Fargo Center, Philadelphia, U.S. 807,370
Qudos Bank Arena, Sydney, Australia 790,798

Construction
Translucent cushions being installed, July 2013.

Planning for the SSE Hydro began some time in 2001 as the second redevelopment of the Queens Dock in Glasgow. By 2003, a plan had been unveiled for a £125,000,000 entertainment arena, holding 12,000 seated audience members and 1,000 standing. London-based architects Foster and Partners were appointed as the design team for the Hydro by 2004 with Glasgow-based Elphinsone additionally appointed as the preferred developer for the site. The design of the arena was finally released to the press by 2005, and the SECC gained full planning consent for the arena by 2006. Construction for the arena finally began in February 2011 by construction company Lend Lease. By November 2011, building work for the roof of the arena had begun, which was completed by April 2013. The arena's signature translucent outer cushions were installed in May 2013, along with the seating inside of the arena, marking construction of the arena completed, taking two years to complete.[4]

Fire

At approximately 15:20 on Sunday 8 June 2013,[5] flames were reported to be coming from the domed roof of the partially completed building.[6] 40 firefighters from the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service attended the blaze.[7] It was determined that the fire was caused by ongoing welding work on the building's roof.[8][9] On 18 June, the venue's operator revealed that despite additional challenges, work on the venue was still on track for completion.[10]

Entertainment
Main article: List of entertainment events at The SSE Hydro

Sports
The SSE Hydro at night in November 2018

On 14 December 2014 the BBC Sports Personality of the Year Award ceremony was held at the venue.[11] During the 2014 Commonwealth Games the SSE Hydro was home to the netball and gymnastic events.[12] On 18 July 2015 the UFC held their inaugural Scottish event UFC Fight Night: Bisping vs. Leites at the Hydro.[13] From 23 October to 1 November 2015 the SSE Hydro hosted the Artistic gymnastics world championships.[14]

In 2016, the venue hosted a heavyweight boxing fight between Dillian Whyte and Ian Lewison. Later it has hosted four boxing fights headlined by Scottish light welterweight boxer Josh Taylor. It also hosted two rounds of the 2018–19 World Boxing Super Series.

Politics

The SSE Hydro was host to the largest televised debate seen in Scotland's history, Scotland Decides: The Big, Big Debate, held on the evening of Thursday 11 September 2014; towards the end of the Scottish independence referendum campaign. The Mentorn/BBC Scotland organised debate, in which every secondary school in Scotland was invited to take part, involved around 7,500 first time voters and was broadcast on BBC One during the evening of 11 September 2014[15] and was presented by James Cook.[16]

References
    1. "Timeline". SSE Hydro Official Website. Retrieved 12 September 2009.
    2. "Pollstar 2016 top 200 arena ticket sales" (PDF).
    3. "TOP 200 ARENA VENUES 2018" (PDF). 12 December 2018.
    4. "Timeline". thessehydro.com. Retrieved 10 February 2016.
    5. "Fire hits city's £125m Hydro venue". paisleydailyexpress.co.uk. Paisley Daily Express. 8 June 2013. Retrieved 8 June 2013.
    6. "Glasgow Hydro fire: Crews tackle blaze in domed roof". bbc.co.uk. BBC News. 8 June 2013. Retrieved 8 June 2013.
    7. "Firefighters tackle blaze at Hydro concert venue on the River Clyde". news.stv.tv. STV. 8 June 2013. Retrieved 8 June 2013.
    8. "Welder's torch blamed for starting huge fire at Glasgow's new £125m Hydro arena". dailyrecord.co.uk. Daily Record. 9 June 2013. Retrieved 18 June 2013.
    9. "Glasgow Hydro fire: Blaze caused by welding sparks". bbc.co.uk. BBC News. 10 June 2013. Retrieved 18 June 2013.
    10. "Glasgow Hydro venue construction 'remains on target' despite fire". thecourier.co.uk. The Courier. 18 June 2013. Retrieved 18 June 2013.
    11. "BBC Sports Personality 2014: Shortlisted named for award". BBC. BBC. Retrieved 14 December 2014.
    12. "SSE Hydro confirmed as host venue for Games Netball Final". Glasgow 2014. Retrieved 10 February 2016.
    13. "UFC Fight Night: Bisping vs. Leites". UFC. Retrieved 10 February 2016.
    14. "The SSE Hydro – 2015 World Gymnastics Championships". www.2015worldgymnastics.com. Archived from the original on 29 November 2014. Retrieved 10 February 2016.
    15. Taylor, Marianne; Fraser, Graham; Sayers, Louise; Currie, Martin (11 September 2014). "Referendum Live – as it happened". BBC News (Scotland), n.d. BBC. Retrieved 14 September 2014.
    16. "Scottish independence: Plans announced for Scotland's 'biggest ever debate'". BBC News. Retrieved 23 June 2014.
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