CASE STUDY – RETAIL | POWIŚLE POWER PLANT

ABOUT THE PROJECT

Warsaw, Poland’s Powiśle Power Plant, developed by Tristan Capital Partners and White Star Real Estate, is a shopping destination and experience unlike any other in the world.

Set inside an old power plant no longer in service — but that saw significant use during the Warsaw Uprising during World War II — the Powiśle Power Plant is described by its creators as “a place where the spirit of history has found peace”.

However, to make it a home for modern retailers, restaurants, apartments, offices and hotel, the space needed solutions that could bring powerful audio and elevate the overall atmosphere without detracting from its significant historical heritage.

System integrator Bestau was faced with a tall order. The Powiśle Power Plant presented a wildly varied acoustic environment, with large, open spaces, rigid steel structures, glazed elements and more contributing to the difficult task at hand of providing both consistent background music for the entire facility and powerful, flexible audio capabilities for concerts and events.

The final system also couldn’t take anything away from the historical integrity of the plant. It was critical that the visual aesthetic of the Powiśle Power Plant be preserved, and that any audio equipment installed didn’t detract from the desired atmosphere.

THE BOSE PROFESSIONAL SOLUTION

To make this happen, Bestau would need to work within two “tracks,” or rails, running parallel down the length of the space — bringing a list of challenges in achieving proper coverage, sound levels, mounting solutions and more. What’s more, the different areas throughout the space identified different audio needs. The Market, a space for events like concerts and presentations, offers a postindustrial, raw interior design that couldn’t be hindered by a solution requiring arrays that were obviously visible.

The Food Hall is similar, hosting diners by day and concerts by night, while the entry space, complete with fountains, hosts outdoor events and required synchronized audio with water shows. Finally, the Beauty Hall is a very tall, open space with few mounting options available, yet it still needed an audio solution that allowed individual tenants to adjust their retail zones within the supervision of a main audio control system.

“The project was a great success. The sound system meets our expectations and fits discreetly into the atmosphere of the place. Despite the complexity of the project andthe system’s capabilities, its management is intuitive and allows us to be flexible and adapt to current events.”

— Kalina Palczewska
Senior Analyst, Innovation
White Star Real Estate

Interior hallway looking towards ceiling

To meet this wide variety of needs, Bestau turned to Bose Professional solutions and a holistic sound system based on the Dante® network standard. In total, the space needed six server rooms and multiple zone controllers to provide adequate control, management and flexibility.

In the Food Hall, the ControlSpace EX-1280 audio processor is located in the main rack cabinet and helps oversee ArenaMatch AM40 loudspeakers, six ArenaMatch Utility AMU206 loudspeakers and eight AMU105 speakers. It’s all powered by a PowerMatch 8500N and a PowerMatch 8250N power amplifier.

In the Market, 10 EdgeMax loudspeakers allow for placement in the room’s corners providing the 90- and 180-degree sound coverage. Dante wall plates power automatic signal detection, which configures the speakers to allow sound to come from whichever stage is in use — left, right or center.

PARTNER:

Bestau

Bestau, a leader on the audio-video market in professional audio-visual systems, sets trends which Polish competitors are eager to follow.

The Beauty Hall leverages 42 DesignMax DM5C loudspeakers in custom pendant enclosures that match the area’s aesthetic, which are powered by a PowerMatch 8250N and two PowerShare PS604D power amplifiers.

Finally, the outdoor square with the Fountains is outfitted with eight ArenaMatch Utility AMU206 loudspeakers to provide wide, consistent, rich coverage.

The challenge was great, but Bestau and Bose Professional were up to the task. The system uses a variety of solutions to offer the perfect capabilities for each one of the unique spaces, plus simple programming — which also features automatic startup and power-down matching the space’s operating hours — making it easy to get the most from this revolutionary audio system.

The solution also leveraged Bose Professional’s Modeler sound system software to ensure the sound in any given location would be consistent, powerful and flexible despite unique geometry and materials used within the spaces. The result is an historic location that’s been brought back to life alongside its original personality, making it a unique attraction ready to bring a singular experience to visitors for years to come.