Glasgow is no stranger to impressive architecture and as the city celebrates the opening of its new landmark, The Hydro, Jennifer McLaren examines the building and the legacy it is expected to generate.
Before its official public opening, the SSE Hydro had already been likened to a spaceship and dubbed Glasgow’s music colosseum both of which go some way to describing the £125m opus on the banks of the River Clyde.
Standing at 45 metres high and modelled on Greek and Roman amphitheatres with a distinctive “pie-case” panelled roof and a glowing exterior that will light up the night sky, city leaders are hoping the purpose-built music venue will become one of the world’s top five concert arenas to rival the O2 in London and Madison Square Gardens in New York.
Designed by renowned architects Foster + Partners, The Hydro has a total capacity of 13,000 and played host to legendary rocker Rod Stewart this week the first event of hundreds planned for the coming year.
The Hydro is part of the existing Scottish Exhibition and Conference Centre complex, located on the north bank of the Clyde. The development of the concert hall on the 64-acre site will now free up space in the existing halls for more exhibition and conference events.
It is expected the venue will host over 140 events and attract a million visitors per year all with the potential to bring more than £130m to the Glasgow economy per annum and help create 1,400 jobs.
On October 19 the Music of Black Origin (MOBO) awards will be held at The Hydro and other acts booked to perform in the coming months include Jessie J, Fleetwood Mac, Boyzone, the Proclaimers, Peter Gabriel, Depeche Mode and Arctic Monkeys.
It will also be used for sporting events next year it will be a Commonwealth Games venue for gymnastics, boxing and netball finals and it will also host the 2015 World Gymnastics Championships.
In addition, The Hydro houses a range of restaurants and bars, a club seating area and VIP boxes. Built to serve a digital age, smartphones will be able to interact with the venue while inside using its wi-fi system capable of serving 12,000 concurrent users.
Like any large-scale building project, The Hydro has been hindered by setbacks since plans were given the go ahead in 2006, including a fire in June caused by welding work taking place in the building’s roof space.
It has attracted the backing of brands such as Coca-Cola, Sony, First Scotrail, Heineken, Clydesdale Bank, Perth-based Kettle Chips and Thomson holidays, while energy company Scottish Hydro has committed to investing £1.5 million a year in The Hydro for the next decade in return for naming rights.
Councillor Gordon Matheson, leader of Glasgow City Council, said: “The opening of the SSE Hydro is a landmark for Glasgow, and further cements our reputation as an international destination. We can all look forward to welcoming many of the world’s greatest entertainers and performers to this state of the art venue.”