BHP
Unifying the corporate histories of BHP and Billiton into a single story spanning the length of BHP's new global headquarters: an interactive installation, historical timelines, executive meeting rooms, and a commemorative book.
Content Strategy • Experiential Design • Historical Research, Curation & Interviews • Scriptwriting • Copywriting • Author
The Brief
Conceive and deliver an interactive history installation for BHP's new global headquarters at 171 Collins Street, Melbourne, telling the company's story to staff, visiting executives, and dignitaries.
The Problem
At the time, the company was BHP Billiton, the result of a merger between Australian BHP and South African Billiton. This meant there wasn't one corporate history to tell, but two, which needed to be woven into a single coherent narrative.
The risk with any corporate history piece is defaulting to a dry, monumental timeline. The real challenge was finding the human stories inside 130-plus years of institutional history, and making a permanent fixture actually worth stopping for.
BHP Billiton Interview Series | Research • Script • Production & Post
The Solution
I worked directly with historian Professor Geoffrey Blainey, interviewing him to compile an accurate chronology across both BHP and Billiton's histories, and to dig out lesser-known stories of key employees and leaders that a standard corporate timeline would have missed.
Working with design firm Amanda Roach Design (ARD), I helped shape the visitor experience around three screens and three distinct narrative threads – past, present and future – giving the installation a structure rather than a single flat scroll through history.
Around the screens, a physical timeline was etched into metal sourced from one of BHP's own assets — a detail that tied the story materially back to the company itself.
I scripted the on-camera questions for Professor Blainey and worked with the production company through filming and edit.
The research also shaped spaces beyond the installation itself: working with Blainey, I identified the most significant names and milestones to emerge from the history and used them to name the building's executive meeting rooms, and populate historical timelines throughout the building.
I collaborated with BHP's archive unit to build the Business Centre Library, housing physical artefacts, documents and company records.
As a final piece, I authored a commemorative book; a companion to the installation focused on the design, construction and meaning of the 171 Collins Street headquarters itself, with the company's history woven through it, produced as a gift for VIPs, dignitaries and staff.
The Outcome
A permanent installation at BHP's global headquarters, still in place today
A unified narrative spanning two merged corporate histories, built on primary historian research rather than existing corporate materials
The work extended beyond the interactive wall itself into timeline walls on multiple floors, executive meeting room names, a dedicated archive library, and standalone commemorative book
