Social Programme

Civic Reception Get-Together Reception Gala Dinner

Science CentreMonday 26th September 2005; 19.00 hrs
Civic Reception to be held at the Glasgow Science Centre

The Glasgow Science Centre is at the cutting edge of building technology and architectural creativity.

Building Design Partnership won the brief to design the science centre following a national competition held in 1995. It was built on reclaimed dockland on the south side of the River Clyde and sits on a site of 6.7 acres. GSC is a major new tourist attraction for Glasgow and has provided new educational resources for parents and teachers.

Facts and figures

The Tower

  • The tower is the only one in the world that can rotate 360° from the ground up
  • It continually rotates into the face of the wind
  • Its 102 metre high viewing cabin offers 20 mile views over the city and surrounding areas
  • With a 25 metre carbon fibre mast it is the tallest building in Glasgow and at an overall height of nearly 420 feet is the tallest free-standing structure in Scotland
  • It is linked by a tunnel to the exhibition centre
  • Bolts were used to join sections of the tower together rather than welding, to allow the structure to flex
  • To speed up construction and ensure accuracy, the tower was assembled in Poland before being dismantled and shipped to Glasgow

The Science Mall

  • The Science Mall, covering 10,500 square metres, houses, among other things, a planetarium, exhibition galleries and interactive science and multimedia theatres.
  • The Science Mall's crescent shape is taken from a section of a torus - a mathematically perfect, doughnut shape.
  • Because the construction is so curvy, teams of people used rubber ladders to fit the titanium strips.
  • Every piece of glass used was individually sized.


The IMAX Cinema

  • Covering a floor space of 2,250 square metres, the IMAX Cinema seats 350 people and has four floors
  • It is one of the first buildings in the UK to be clad in titanium
  • The titanium shingles that clad the building were manufactured on site to ensure precision

The Materials

The project cost £75 million. Materials were sourced from around the world but much use was made of manufacturing resources available locally in Govan.

The Science Mall and the IMAX Cinema are clad with titanium - the first buildings in the UK and only the second in Europe to use titanium. Titanium is durable, strong and has anti-corrosive properties as well as looking amazing.

Complex 3-D modelling and geometry were involved in the design and building of the GSC.

To find out more about the Glasgow Science Centre visit www.gsc.org.uk

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Sunday 25th September 2005
Get-Together Reception to be held in the SECC

Delegates of the Sunday Short Courses and Workshops and Conference delegates alike are very welcome to register for the conference on Sunday evening and drop into the Get-Together Reception for some drinks and light nibbles.  Familiarise yourselves with the Conference venue and enjoy some Scottish hospitality in the company of your colleagues from around the world.

Wednesday 28th September 2005
Gala Dinner to be held at Stirling Castle

The ECOC 2005 Gala Dinner will be held in the magnificent and historic setting of Stirling Castle. Stirling Castle is one of Scotland's grandest castles due to its imposing position and impressive architecture and commands the countryside for many miles around.

It towers over some of the most important battlefields of Scotland's past, including Stirling Bridge, the site of William Wallace's victory over the English in 1297, and Bannockburn, where Robert the Bruce defeated the same foe in the summer of 1314.

Due to the number of anticipated guests the Gala Dinner will be held in two halls:

The Chapel Royal

Guests enter the Chapel Royal through an imposing doorway in Italian renaissance style. The room is beautifully decorated with a painted frieze depicting the Honours of Scotland and a wooden vaulted ceiling.

The Great Hall

Scotland's largest medieval banqueting hall has recently been restored to its 16 th century splendour. It is now considered to be one of Scotland's most prestigious banqueting venues comprising a hammerbeam roof and high table fit for a King and Queen.

Needless to say with such splendid surroundings the ECOC delegate would need some fine entertainment and Scotland will not disappoint. Coaches will be laid on to take diners from the conference venue the 40 minutes to Stirling Castle. On each of the coaches will be a host to narrate you through the countryside and tell tales of Scotland's history.

Once at Stirling Castle a lone piper will welcome guests as they enter and are served drinks. This is the time to get into the spirit of Scotland's heritage as a clan battle unfolds before you!

Fine food will be on the menu and a few other surprises.

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