BHP Starts Move to Brookfield Place Tower, Biggest Office Relocation in WA History
BHP Billiton (ASX: BHP) is making Western Australian history by moving headquarters to Brookfield Place Tower. With 3,000 BHP employees, the relocation is the state's largest office transfer in its history.
The mining giant will occupy 34 of the building's 45 floors. Brookfield Place, located along St George's Terrace, is behind Central Park in Perth and is the city's second tallest building.
Despite its height at 234 metres, the BHP employees would take only about 30 seconds to scale the edifice through its glass lift that offers a north view of the city.
The move would place in one location the 3,000 BHP staff who are currently scattered in 21 offices throughout the city. BHP said the transfer started Monday and is expected to be completed by the third quarter of 2012.
A team of 85 removal experts are working 24 hours a day to facilitate the transfer. They delivered 3,000 crates and 900 computers of the employees.
Despite the consolidation of employees in their new headquarters, BHP's head office in Melbourne will remain open.
To ensure the BHP workers are happy and would not be pirated by other mining firms, the company provided an outdoor terrace with barbecues and benches made of recycled materials. There is also a Fitness First gym and child care centre within the building.
At the 45th level, the topmost floor, there is a mixed-used area ideal for meals, lounging, and even for working quietly since it is designed to block out external noise. The edifice boasts of a level five Green Star energy ratings partly made possible by its extensive use of natural light because of the glass structure.