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Facts:
Location: Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
Architect: Cesar Pelli
Date of completion: 1998
Building Type: skyscraper, commercial office
tower
Construction: System glass, steel, and concret
Height: 452 meters above street level - 88
stories
Total built-up area: 341,760 sq.meters ( 3.7
million sq. feet)
Location of skybridge: Levels 41 and
42
Length of skybridge: 58.4 meters
Height of skybridge: 170 metres above street
level
Vertical transportation: 29 double-deck
high speed passenger lifts in each tower
Number of escalators: 10 in each tower
Concrete: 60,000 cubic metres
Stainless Steel Cladding: 65,000 square
metres
Glass: 77,000 square metres (The towers have
32,000 windows.)
Context: urban
Style: Modern
Cost: $1.2 billion (US)
The Petronas Twin Towers and the sky bridge connecting them define a record-breaking gateway to the commercial heart of Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. The 452 m towers are 7 m taller than Chicago's Sears Tower, and are equivalent to 95 stories each. Concrete strengths up to 80 Mpa (11,600 psi) are used in the central core and perimeter columns. Structural steel is used in the pinnacle, the sky bridge and the long-span floor beams that support concrete-filled metal deck.The floor-plate of the Tower is designed based on geometric patterns common in architecture of Islamic heritage. It is composed of two rotated and superimposed squares with small circular infills. These geometric figures have been described by architects as symbolising unity, harmony, stability and rationality - all important principles of Islam.Like the exterior design, the Towers' entrance design was also inspired by the country's cultural heritage, incorporating contemporary Malaysian motifs adapted from traditional handicrafts such as songket and timber carvings. The overall character of the building is high-tech and international but distinctively Malaysian.
Nestled between the PETRONAS Twin Towers is
the six-level Suria KLCC - Malaysia's premier shopping destination. Overlooking
the magnificent KLCC Park, Suria KLCC promises hours of leisurely pleasure.
The towers also include prayer rooms called suraus, enabling Muslim office
workers to pray while kneeling toward Mecca.The intelligent building concept
used by the towers dates to the 1980s when the telephone services were
deregulated and integrated-services digital network (ISDN) standards were
set. The Twin Towers have three major networks: Building Control System,
Fire Alarm System, and Building Security System. Each tower has a control
station as well as separate primary and secondary fire control stations
that use the same physical media as the building networks, but operate
independent of the main network in case of a software failure.The towers
complex includes an art gallery, an 840-seat concert hall, and an underground
parking lot. They were built on a former horse-racing track.An important
aspct of the KLCC program is that the Malaysian government
has made technology transfer -including U.S.
projct management skills - an important part. Contract proposals had to
be educational as well as business-like.
Because the Petronas Towers are located in
the tropics, Pelli designed
windows that are continuous horizontal ribbons
of modest height and protected from the sun by projecting shades.
Skybridge:
The skybridge is an essential functional component linking the Twin Towers to facilitate movement between the two towers.The 58.4 meters double-decked skybridge is located at levels 41 and 42 joining the sky lobbies situated in both towers. The bridge took 32 hours straight to lift to it's current height.Building the glass, steel, and concrete structure was a multi-national project: a South Korean company was contracted to build one of the towers and a Japanese company the other. The buildings' structural design engineers were based in New York City. Wind-tunnel consultants and elevator and escalator engineers came from Canada.Malaysia's prime minister at the time, Dr. Mohamad Mahathir, said that he had the Petronas Towers built to put Kuala Lumpur on the world map.