Scottish Hydro Arena Glasgow, SECC Venue, Building, Architect, COP26 News, Scotland

The Hydro : SECC Glasgow Arena

Scottish Music Venue + Conference Centre building design by Foster + Partners Architects

2 Nov 2021

This arena building has been renamed as OVO Hydro. The multi-purpose facility is located within the Scottish Event Campus (SEC).

This futuristic building designed by the London architects office of Foster + Partners is one of the key venues for COP26 in 2021.

page updated 23 Jun 2014

The SSE Hydro

17 Oct 2013

Glasgow 2014 Commonwealth Games Venue

picture © Foster + Partners

Glasgow 2014 Commonwealth Games netball venue switch considered, report BBC Scotland today. Glasgow 2014 organisers are considering changing the venue of the Commonwealth Games netball final. The event was due to be held at the SECC but may be switched to the newly-built, nearby Scottish Hydro facility. The change of venue could lead to 4,000 more tickets being made available. The organisers are mindful that a quick turnaround in the venue would be needed as the boxing finals are being held at the Hydro the previous night. 17 Oct

26 Sep 2013

The Hydro’s external lights were switched on last night: shades of blue, green and purple beamed from the new venue last night as final preparations were being made for the opening night.

Scottish National Arena image © Foster + Partners

Rod Stewart will open Glasgow’s £125m arena building designed by Foster + Partners, on the 30th September 2013, and play for 4 nights – the building now has the all clear for public occupation.

The SSE Hydro will be one of the city’s venues for the Glasgow 2014 Commonwealth Games, the base for artistic gymnastics, rhythmic gymnastics and the boxing finals.

It is estimated the new venue will host around 140 events every year. The current economic impact of the SECC is £397m a year and the SSE Hydro has the potential to inject an additional £131m a year into the local economy.

We hope to post some photos of the completed building at the weekend.

The Hydro Glasgow

18 Jul 12013

The Hydro Building

Layers of inflated ‘foil pillow’ external cladding are now being applied to the building. The foil pillows allow natural light to illuminate the venue during the day but at night images can be projected onto the surface and LED lights will make it ‘shimmer’ in 12.8million different colours.

20 May 2013

The Hydro

Scottish Hydro Arena Opening

Design: Foster + Partners

ROCKER ROD TO RAISE ROOF AT £125 MILLION HYDRO ARENA ROD STEWART ANNOUNCED TO OPEN SCOTLAND’S NEW VENUE AS ALBUM ‘TIME’ TOPS THE CHARTS

34 years since his last No.1 album, Scottish rocker Rod Stewart has taken the top spot with his highly-acclaimed LP ‘Time’ – making this his 15th No.1 record. And to meet demand to hear the album live, he will play a 5 date UK arena tour beginning this September.

As part of the tour, Rod will play the ultimate homecoming gig. The global superstar will open Glasgow’s £125 million arena The Hydro this September as part of his Time Tour. Rod will cap his most exciting tour in over two decades underneath The Hydro’s silver dome on the 30th September 2013. Tickets go on sale at 9am on Friday 24th May through www.aeglive.co.uk.

Rod commented: “I have been looking forward to this as I’ve watched The Hydro take shape. 2013 is a momentous year for me. I cannot wait to get back to Scotland and perform in front of a live audience at this spectacular venue.” It coincides with his first album – ‘Time’ – of original material in two decades.

Scotland’s biggest rock export Rod Stewart is the perfect opening act for “The Hydro”, Scotland’s new home of live entertainment. Built on the site of the former Queens’s Dock with a seating capacity of 12,000 and an audience of 1 million visitors each year, The Hydro aims to be one of the top 5 busiest indoor music arenas in the world alongside such iconic venues as Madison Square Gardens and The O2.

Addition – 22 May 2013:

Following sensational demand, it has been confirmed that Rod Stewart will play a second night at The Hydro in Glasgow as part of the Time tour. Rod will now play two spectacular homecoming shows at Glasgow’s £125 million arena The Hydro this September and October. Rod will cap his most exciting tour in over two decades underneath The Hydro’s silver dome on the 30th September and 2nd October 2013.

1 Mar 2013

The Hydro Arena

Scottish Hydro Arena

Design: Foster + Partners

When complete, the venue will form part of the Scottish Exhibition and Conference Centre (SECC) complex, along with the Clyde Auditorium (Armadillo). It is hoped that when The Hydro opens in September 2013 it will contribute £131m annually to the Scottish economy.

Progress on the construction:

photo © Adrian Welch

The Hydro is expected to attract one million visitors each year to about 140 music, entertainment and sporting events. Its name derives from energy firm Scottish Hydro, which is sponsoring the venue in a 10-year deal worth about £1.5m annually.

31 Oct 2012

The Hydro Arena Glasgow

Scottish Hydro Arena entertainment venue

The main structure of Glasgow’s newest entertainment venue has been completed after more than one million work hours.

Engineers secured the last roof bolt on the 12,000-seater arena, named The Hydro, on Tuesday morning.

Progress on the construction back on 24 May 2012:

photos © Isabelle Lomholt

The initial construction phase of the arena, designed by Foster and Partners, was completed by property and infrastructure firm Lend Lease. Following the traditional “topping out” ceremony on Tuesday, Glasgow City Council leader Gordon Matheson said The Hydro would take Glasgow’s global appeal for entertainment events “to an even higher level”.

“It’s going to be as iconic as its neighbour the Armadillo, and it will play a key role in Glasgow’s Commonwealth Games in 2014,” he said. “I can’t wait to see this amazing building lit up at night as it hosts many thousands of people. “And I’m looking forward to celebrating another great Glaswegian venue as it drives more success for our great city.”

28 May 2012

The Hydro Glasgow

Scottish Hydro Arena Building

Design: Foster + Partners

New set of photos by Isabelle Lomholt

photos © Isabelle Lomholt

Scottish National Arena Glasgow

Scottish National Arena image © Foster + Partners

Scottish Hydro Arena Glasgow : original page with earlier information

Hydro Arena Architects : Foster & Partners

Hydro Arena Glasgow – external link

SECC by Foster & Partners

SECC – Scottish Exhibition and Conference Centre

Clydeside, Glasgow, Scotland
1995-97

World-class corporate events increasingly demand venues that can stage presentations on an epic scale. Few facilities offer a flexible mix of spaces for conferences, exhibitions, live performances, concerts and corporate functions at every level from the intimate to the vast. The SECC Glasgow is the first venue of its kind on this scale in the UK and one of only four in Europe capable of seating more than 3,000 delegates.

Visitors approach the SECC from the east, entering beneath a canopy formed by the arc of the building’s roof. From the registration area they may enter a 300-seat conference room or go up to the first-floor foyer, which connects with the auditorium and an associated network of break-out and exhibition spaces. The SECC Seating Plan is free of columns.

SECC Glasgow

SECC Glasgow opened in 1985 with the Armadillo or Clyde Auditorium added in 1997. Glasgow is now Europe’s fastest-growing conference destination, regularly beating other cities such as Paris and London for business. The SECC is the UK’s largest integrated conference and exhibition centre.

Commonwealth Games Arena

Commonwealth Games

All images of ‘Armadillo’ by photographer Richard Davies

SECC: Box Office 0870 040 4000

SECC Macdonald Estates – Mixed use development

SECC Urban Village

Contact the SECC: phone 0870 040 4000