SEC Armadillo

Why go

Foster + Partners gave this auditorium a profile that stands apart from the flatter SEC Centre next door. From the riverfront, look at the overlapping shell forms and how the building faces the Clyde. It is a worthwhile short pause on a walk towards the western waterfront, while the auditorium itself makes sense only with an event ticket.

What to look for

• The sequence of curved shell forms along the roofline.
• The contrast between the auditorium and the adjacent exhibition halls.

The full story

The SEC Armadillo was built as a new auditorium for the Scottish Event Campus in the 1990s. Foster + Partners arranged the roof as a series of overlapping forms, a profile that gave the venue its familiar nickname. The overlapping forms evoke ship hulls, connecting the auditorium’s distinctive outline to the Clyde’s shipbuilding past. That connection changes how the exterior reads: the shells sit beside the river where industrial activity once defined the view. Look from a little way along the waterfront to see the whole sequence of curves, then move closer to compare it with the much broader exhibition halls of the SEC Centre. The auditorium is an event venue, so this architectural story can be appreciated outside even when there is no performance to attend.

Useful to know

• Use the riverfront for an exterior view.
• Check the SEC event listing if you want to enter the auditorium.

Your next visit

Estimated · Declared scenario and planning estimates; no live opening, weather, queue or booking service.