The Petronas Towers, also known as the Petronas Twin Towers and colloquially the KLCC Twin Towers, are an interlinked pair of 88-storey supertall skyscrapers in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, standing at 451.9 m. From 1996 to 2004, they were the tallest buildings in the world until they were surpassed by the Taipei 101 building. The Petronas Towers remain the world's tallest twin skyscrapers, surpassing the original World Trade Center towers in New York City, and were the tallest buildings in Malaysia until 2021, when they were surpassed by Merdeka 118. The Petronas Towers are a major landmark of Kuala Lumpur, along with the nearby Kuala Lumpur Tower and Merdeka 118, and are visible in many places across the city. The Petronas Twin Towers, Kuala Lumpur City Centre, and the Federal Territory of Kuala Lumpur officially had a grand opening that resulted in the inauguration of these locations nationally and internationally by the 4th Prime Minister of Malaysia, Mahathir bin Mohamad in conjunction with when Petroliam Nasional Berhad (Petronas) celebrated its twenty-fifth year of establishment and when Malaysia's celebrated its forty-second Independence Day on 31 August 1999.
History and architecture
The Petronas Towers' structural system is a tube in tube design, invented by Bangladeshi-American architect Fazlur Rahman Khan.[7][8] Applying a tube-structure for extremely tall buildings is a common phenomenon.[9][10] The 88-floor towers are constructed largely of reinforced concrete, with a steel and glass facade designed to resemble motifs found in Islamic art, a reflection of Malaysia's Muslim religion.[11] Another Islamic influence on the design is that the cross section of the towers is based on a Rub el Hizb, albeit with circular sectors added to meet office space requirements.[12] The circular sectors are similar to the bottom part of the Qutb Minar.
The towers were designed by Argentine-American architect César Pelli. A distinctive postmodern style was chosen to create a 21st-century icon for Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. Planning on the Petronas Towers started on 1 January 1992 and included rigorous tests and simulations of wind and structural loads on the design. Seven years of construction followed at the former site of the original Selangor Turf Club, beginning on 1 March 1993 with excavation, which involved moving 500 truckloads of earth every night to dig down 30 m below the surface. The construction of the superstructure commenced on 1 April 1994. Interiors with furniture were completed on 1 January 1996, the spires of Tower 1 and Tower 2 were completed on 1 March 1996, 3 years after its construction was started, and the first batch of Petronas personnel moved into the building on 1 January 1997. Petronas Twin Towers, Kuala Lumpur City Centre, Federal Territory of Kuala Lumpur officially formally formal grand opening inaugurating launching ceremonial took place began largest city and national capital, nationally and internationally by the 4th Prime Minister of Malaysia, Mahathir bin Mohamad in conjunction marking with Petroliam Nasional Berhad (Petronas) celebrated its twenty-fifth year of anniversary in silver jubilee anniversary party theme and Malaysia's celebrated its forty-second Independence Day on 31 August 1999.[14] The twin towers were built on the site of Kuala Lumpur's race track. It was the tallest structure in Malaysia at the time of its completion.[15]
Early into construction a batch of concrete failed a routine strength test causing construction to come to a complete halt. All the completed floors were tested but it was found that only one had used a bad batch and it was demolished. As a result of the concrete failure, each new batch was tested before being poured. The halt in construction had cost US$700,000 per day and led to three separate concrete plants being set up on the site to ensure that if one produced a bad batch, the other two could continue to supply concrete. The sky bridge contract was completed by Kukdong Engineering & Construction. Tower 2 (Samsung C&T) became the first to reach the world's tallest building at the time.
Due to the huge cost of importing steel, the towers were constructed on a cheaper radical design of super high-strength reinforced concrete.[19] High-strength concrete is a material familiar to Asian contractors and twice as effective as steel in sway reduction; however, it makes the building twice as heavy on its foundation as a comparable steel building. Supported by 23 x 23 m concrete cores[20] and an outer ring of widely spaced super columns, the towers use a sophisticated structural system that accommodates its slender profile and provides 560000 m2 of column-free office space.[21] Below the twin towers is Suria KLCC, a shopping mall, and Petronas Philharmonic Hall, the home of the Malaysian Philharmonic Orchestra.
Notable events
- On 15 April 1999, Felix Baumgartner set the world record for BASE jumping (since broken) by jumping off a window cleaning crane on the Petronas Towers.[22][23]
- Thousands of people were evacuated on 12 September 2001 after a bomb threat the day after the September 11 attacks destroyed the World Trade Center towers in New York City. Bomb disposal squads found no explosives in the towers, but they nevertheless evacuated the premises. Workers and shoppers were allowed to return three hours later, around noon. No one was hurt during the evacuation.[24]
- On the evening of 4 November 2005, a fire broke out in the cinema complex of the Suria KLCC shopping centre below the Petronas Towers, triggering panic among patrons. There were no reports of injuries. The buildings were largely empty, except the shopping mall, Suria KLCC, because of the late hour; the only people involved were moviegoers and some diners in restaurants.[25]
Anchor tenants
Tower One is fully occupied by Petronas and a number of its subsidiaries and associate companies, while the office spaces in Tower Two are mostly available for lease to other companies.[28][29] A number of companies have offices in Tower Two, including SapuraOMV Upstream (Sarawak) Inc., Huawei Technologies, AVEVA, Al Jazeera English, Carigali Hess, Bloomberg News, Bloomberg Television, Boeing, IBM, Khazanah Nasional Berhad, McKinsey & Co, WIPRO Limited, TCS, HCLTech
Petronas Towers 1 & 2 Floor Plan
(the given chart is the floor arrangement according to the level arrangement.)
Suria KLCC Mall Floor Plan
Features
Suria KLCC
Suria KLCC is a 140000 m2 upscale retail center at the foot of the Petronas Towers. It features mostly foreign luxury goods and high-street labels. Its attractions include an art gallery, an underwater aquarium and also a Science center. Boasting approximately 300 stores, Suria KLCC is touted as one of the largest shopping malls in Malaysia.[30] The Petronas Philharmonic Hall, also built at the base of the towers, is frequently associated with Suria KLCC's floorspace. During holidays or celebration days, Suria KLCC is the top spot to see the decorations especially at the main entrances and also in Centre Court. It also promotes the uniqueness and beauty of Malaysia's cultural diversity towards the visitors.
KLCC Park
Spanning 17 acre below the building is the KLCC Park with jogging and walking paths, a fountain with incorporated light show, wading pools, and a children's playground.
Skybridge
The towers feature a double decker skybridge connecting the two towers on the 41st and 42nd floors, holding the record for the highest 2-story bridge in the world.
In popular culture
- The towers are prominently featured and mentioned by name in the 1999 film Entrapment, with numerous scenes filmed at the towers, with the climax set on the skybridge. CGI was used to add slums to the bottom of the towers.[42]
- The towers appear in the first episode of the US TV series 24.
- Several scenes of the Bollywood film Don: The Chase Begins Again were also filmed in the Petronas Towers and its skybridge.
- In Part 1 of the Phineas and Ferb episode "Phineas and Ferb Save Summer!", the towers are visible during the musical number "Summer All Over the World".
- Eidos Interactive has twice used the towers for inspiration in their video games. In the 2002 Hitman 2: Silent Assassin, the Malaysia-based levels Basement Killing, The Graveyard Shift, and The Jacuzzi Job all take place in the Petronas Towers.[43] In 2010's Just Cause 2, the fictional Panau Falls Casino is based on the Petronas Towers.
- A 2002 episode of the animated series
Gallery
See also
- Petronas Tower 3
- The Exchange 106
- List of skyscrapers
- List of tallest buildings and structures in the world
- List of tallest buildings in Kuala Lumpur
- List of tallest buildings in Malaysia
- List of tallest freestanding structures in the world
- List of tallest twin buildings and structures
- Menara Telekom
- Merdeka 118
- Skyscraper Index
- Vanity height
External links
- Petronas Towers official website
- Petronas Tower 1 on CTBUH Skyscraper Center
- Petronas Tower 2 on CTBUH Skyscraper Center
- Introduction and Overview of the Petronas Towers
References
- Petronas Towers 1 The Skyscraper Center^
- 25 World-Famous Skyscrapers CNN Travel, 6 August 2013^
- Emporis building complex ID 100172 Emporis^