Pop Up Power: Perth city centre church transformed into new civic space

23 May 2022

Pop Up Power Supplies® has provided outdoor power distribution units for a £2 million redevelopment project in the centre of Perth.

This has seen has the transformation of the redundant St Paul’s Church from an unused place of worship into a new civic space for markets, shows, arts performances and open air exhibitions.

Work on the 200 year-old Gothic building was carried out by contractors Hadden Group, working to a design by RDA Architects. The roof, windows and doors of the historic building were stripped out, leaving the walls and steeple intact to preserve the character of the city centre site whilst providing a useful recreational space.

Pop Up Power Supplies® was tasked with providing power distribution solutions that would enable a safe, reliable supply of electricity without the need for temporary generators and cables to be run throughout the octagonal Gothic building when events are taking place. Importantly, the solution had to sympathetic to the listed building.

PUPS

In-ground power units were recommended for the new area within the church walls, enabling the power connections to be safely submerged out of sight to maintain the visual appeal of the historic building. The cover of each unit is neatly recessed which allows paving to be installed to match the surrounding surface perfectly.

The specification

Two PUPS02 5050 in-ground units were specified, each featuring 2x 16A sockets. Their flip-lid design means the sockets are safely locked away until needed, at which point authorised users are able to open the lid, connect the power leads and then lock again. This means power can be accessed with the lids locked down for continuous unattended use – perfect for all-day events.

These flip lid, in-ground units are part of a wide range of retractable, in-ground and bollard power units available from UK company Pop Up Power Supplies®. Its units can be used in a variety of outdoor applications and public spaces, ranging from historic sites, market places and town squares, to parks, university campuses and sports stadia.

George Parker, of PUPS, comments: “The St Paul’s project is an ideal example of how historic buildings which are no longer suitable for their original purpose can be given new life as a public events and social space.

“We’re delighted to have been involved in the scheme to provide in-ground power units, adding another exciting project to our portfolio which also includes Chelsea FC’s Stamford Bridge stadium, Edinburgh Castle, Covent Garden and Caerphilly Castle.”

In addition to in-ground units, Pop Up Power Supplies® also offers two other power distribution options. Its power bollards are elegantly designed to be integrated with other street furniture, providing access to power whenever it is required, and the range of pop up, retractable power units are ‘there when you need them, hidden when you don’t’.

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