Lloyds Metals immersive experience centre concept ← All work Case study / 03

Lloyds Metals

Turning an industrial story into a 6,800 sq ft sequence of decisions, spaces and interaction.

RoleExperience Design Lead
TypePhysical + digital experience centre
Year2025
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The problem

One 6,800 sq ft centre had to tell a mining company’s story to six very different audiences—policy makers to students—without a guide explaining it.

What I did

Sequenced seven zones into one visitor arc, gave every screen and installation a job in that story, and designed show and curator modes.

Outcome

An end-to-end narrative, zone-level interaction specs and a curator iPad experience, aligned across architecture, AV, content, 3D and development.

The journey

Seven zones, one walk from origin to future.

Treat the centre as one product: every room, trigger, display and transition should carry the visitor forward.

  1. 01650 sq ft
    Entry experience

    Where lives transform

    A curved LED wall introduces the company; a holography box lets three people share their own transformation stories.

    Zone 01: arrival under the curved LED wall
  2. 022,100 sq ft
    History & operations

    From earth to empowerment

    Sensor-triggered content at every stage, physical models of the end-to-end process, projection mapping and the region’s socio-economic story.

  3. 031,300 sq ft
    Immersive mining journey

    Walking the path of the miner

    A glass walking platform and a 360° globe that takes visitors through mining and pelletisation.

    Zone 03: the glass walking platform
  4. 04550 sq ft
    4D simulator

    Feel the power beneath

    Motion, vibration and visual effects in a vehicle-inspired seat, simulating live mining operations.

  5. 051,600 sq ft
    ESG

    Progress with purpose

    An LED globe of sustainability work, a tipper-truck model showing diesel-to-electric conversion, and a kinetic ESG wall.

    Zone 05: ESG made physical
  6. 06400 sq ft
    Safety & skilling

    Protecting every hand

    Workplace safety, training and skills programmes, told on an anamorphic video wall.

    Zone 06: safety and skilling
  7. 07200 sq ft
    Accolades & feedback

    A journey shared forward

    An LED column of awards, an integrated feedback system and an immersive cube for reflection.

The space

Where the 6,800 sq ft goes.

Area follows the story. The history and process zone carries the most weight; feedback and reflection get a short, focused ending.

  1. 01 Entry experience650 sq ft10%
  2. 02 History & operations2,100 sq ft31%
  3. 03 Immersive mining journey1,300 sq ft19%
  4. 04 4D simulator550 sq ft8%
  5. 05 ESG1,600 sq ft24%
  6. 06 Safety & skilling400 sq ft6%
  7. 07 Accolades & feedback200 sq ft3%
Final zoning plan with circulation, zone content and areas

Two layouts explored before the final plan

Layout option A
Layout option B
Audiences

One space, many journeys.

The same seven zones had to land differently for each visitor group. I mapped what each audience needed to leave with, then made sure the route carried those moments.

Government & policy makers

Regional transformation; Gadchiroli as a model for mineral-corridor policy.

Investors & shareholders

Operational scale, future roadmap, ESG credentials, scenario modelling.

Media

Human faces, headline data, visual impact moments.

Customers & partners

Operational excellence, capacity proof, supply-chain confidence.

Local community

Livelihood narratives, community pride, Gadchiroli voices.

New recruits & students

Process education, innovation timelines, sustainable industry careers.

Operation

Designed to run with or without a guide.

Show mode

Choreographed

A choreographed show carries a group through all seven zones in order, without an operator having to explain the logic.

Curator mode

Hand-guided

A curator takes manual control from an iPad interface designed around zones, safety and recovery.

  1. Narrative before technology

    The story moves from origin and scale to impact, process and future. Holograms, LED canvases, simulation and projection mapping each had to earn a place in that arc.

  2. Transitions carry meaning

    What happens between zones mattered as much as each installation, so thresholds became part of the story.

  3. Make data physical

    ESG and growth figures live inside spatial moments, balancing credibility with spectacle and avoiding information overload.

Community and heritage wall
Panoramic view of the operations landscape
Results

A physical system that holds together.

6,800sq ft experience
7connected story zones
6audiences served by one route
2operating modes
Where it stands

Delivered as a full visitor narrative, zone-level specifications and a curator control experience. Visitor data wasn’t available at handoff.

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