Petronas Twin Towers, Kuala Lumpur

Petronas Twin Towers

Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

With their majestic silhouette and imposing height, the Petronas Twin Towers celebrate Malaysia’s emergence as a global commercial center while also honouring the country’s cultural heritage. The towers, a modernist take on the traditional Islamic minaret, also represent something of a seismic shift in architecture: They’re the first structures outside the United States to claim the title of world’s tallest buildings, a ranking they held from 1998 to 2004.

Built to house the headquarters of Petronas, the national petroleum company of Malaysia, the towers are extraordinarily slender by engineering standards – a fact that created challenges for Otis.

Without enough space for the conventional configuration of side-by-side elevator hoistways, Otis devised a system of double-deck elevators to reduce the number of hoistways needed. The towers are equipped with 58 double-deck elevators and 18 single elevators.

The towers are clad in panels of glass and stainless steel, creating an effect that architect César Pelli called “multifaceted diamonds sparkling in the sun.”

The floor-plate of each tower is formed by two interlocking squares with small circular infills. These geometric figures are said to symbolize unity, harmony, stability and rationality – all important principles of Islam. The towers feature a series of setbacks as they taper skyward to a height of 1,483 ft.

58

DOUBLE-DECK LIFTS

2,170

STEPS

750

TONS

Cursă contra timp

Guvernul malaezian a dorit ca această clădire să fie finalizată în șase ani. Pentru a respecta termenul impus, au fost angajați două firme de construcție - una sud-coreeană şi una japoneză - fiecare fiind responsabilă pentru unul din turnuri.Urmând ca frma care termină prima să câştige dreptul de a construi Skybridge. Echipajul sud-coreean a câştigat această cursă prin completarea turnului 2 (turnul de est).

Skybridge

Skybridge-ul, de 58,4 metri lungime, este susținut de arcuri înșurubate la nivelul 29 al fiecărui turn.

Nivelul inferior este deschis publicului, dar biletele sunt limitate la aproximativ 1.000 de persoane pe zi. Nivelul superior este rezervat chiriasilor turnurilor. Skybridge găzduieşte şi o sală de conferințe, o sală de mese și o sală de rugăciune.

Quick facts about the Petronas Twin Towers

At 1,483 ft, the towers were the first buildings outside the United States to claim the title of the world’s tallest, succeeding the 1,450-feet-high Willis Tower in Chicago. They remain the world’s tallest twin towers.

When Tower 2 reached the 72nd floor, engineers discovered it was leaning about 25 millimeters off vertical – or nearly an inch. To correct the lean, the next 16 floors were slanted back 20 millimeters. Surveyors checked verticality twice a day until the building's completion.

Built over a former racetrack, the Petronas Towers also include shopping and entertainment facilities, a petroleum museum and a concert hall that is home to the Malaysian Philharmonic Orchestra.