The Petronas Towers complex is the tallest building on Kuala Lumpur's horizon, symbolising Malaysia's determination to be a forward looking and technologically developed country.
Record Breaking
Since they were constructed in 1997 the towers have held the world record as the highest twin building on land. Until 2004, when they were eclipsed by Taipei 101 in Taiwan, they were the world's highest building. In spite of being built by different companies the towers are exactly the same height standing at 452m.
The Towers are built from super-high strength reinforced concrete, which is reputed to reduce the sway that tall buildings are prone to. However this made the building twice as heavy as a traditional reinforced steel building, necessitating extra deep foundations - 120m.
Economic Boom
The towers were built at the behest of the Malaysian government to celebrate the economic boom that the country experienced in the 1990s. The buildings were part of a projected multi-media supercorridor – a type of vertical silicon valley.
Designed by Cesar Pelli, an American-Argentinian, the towers house Petronas, the State oil company, as well as modern shops on several air conditioned floors, a cinema, a concert hall and restaurants. Pelli used geometric motifs taken from ancient Islamic art as his inspiration for the building structure.
The Leaning Tower of KL?
Tower 1 was constructed by Hazama Corporation of Japan whilst Tower 2 was built by the South Korean multinational Samsung Engineering & Construction. During the construction period between 1992 and 1998 there was a spirit of competition between these two companies to see who would finish first. Unforeseen problems arose, however, for Hazama Corporation, when they discovered that their tower was 25mm off vertical, making it the largest leaning tower on record.
The Restaurant
On a hot and humid day it is great to enter the coolness of the Petronas Towers to spend some time window shopping or visit the restaurant floor, There you can find the usual fast food outlets alongside the ubiquitous noodle bars and one can also enjoy freshly juiced local fruit, including (allegedly) when it is in season, the foul smelling but extremely delicious Durian fruit.
The Gardens
When one tires of admiring the lofty interior of the Petronas buildings, one can obtain relief by going out into the gardens which are situated at the rear of the building. There is a lake which is enlivened by a mesmerising display of fountains. There is also a green area where families can sit and picnic.
Reference:
Petronas Twin Towers -- The Architecture of High Construction, by Cesar Pelli and Michael J. Crosbie. Wiley-Academy, London 2005
Petronas Twin Towers, Kuala Lumpur City Centre, 50088 Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
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