Clyde Auditorium
| The 2k Armadillo | |
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| Former names | Clyde Auditorium (1997-2017) |
|---|---|
| Address | Finnieston Street Glasgow G3 8YW Scotland |
| Public transit | Exhibition Centre railway station |
| Owner | SEC Ltd. |
| Capacity | 3,000 |
| Construction | |
| Built | 1995-97 |
| Opened | 7 September 1997 |
| Construction cost | £30 million |
| Website | |
| www |
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The SEC Armadillo (originally known as the Clyde Auditorium) is an auditorium located in Glasgow, Scotland. It is one of three venues on the Scottish Event Campus, near the River Clyde, adjacent to the SEC Centre.
Plans for a new building to increase the capacity of the SECC complex were initiated in 1995. Designed by award-winning architects Foster and Partners, the 3,000 seat venue was completed in 1997, 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 quickly become one of the most recognisable on Clydeside and one of the iconic images of modern Glasgow. Its success has led to the construction of a third venue on the complex, the SSE Hydro.
It is connected by passageways to the SEC Centre, and the Crowne Plaza hotel for easy access and exit for high-profile performers.
The building held the Scottish auditions of Britain's Got Talent series 2 - 4 and the auditions for series 1 - 4 of The X Factor. It is the place where singer Susan Boyle was discovered.
Ian Reilly, the site's engineer, named the Auditorium the Armadillo during the construction phase.
The building served as the venue for the weightlifting competitions of the 2014 Commonwealth Games, held in Glasgow.
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Wikipedia