Sponsored: Project - The PETRONAS Towers

Kuala Lumpur’s most iconic landmark, the 88-storey PETRONAS Towers soars to a majestic height of 451.9 metres, making it the tallest twin towers in the world. The Twin Towers is also home to the world’s highest double-decked bridge – offering stunning views of the city at levels 41 and 42.

Envisioned as a symbol of Malaysia’s aspirations to be seen as a global player, the Twin Towers was designed by American architect, Cesar Pelli. Initially, the project’s investors and developers had no plans to surpass Chicago’s Sears Towers – the tallest building at the time. However, they were keen to create a structure that would spotlight the city of Kuala Lumpur; the caveat being the design had to reflect Malaysia’s culture and heritage. Cesar Pelli’s twin towers design proved to be the winner for the elegant design incorporated Islamic design elements such as the 8-point star and repetitive geometric patterns.

In the original plans, the towers stood at 427 metres - just a few metres shy of Chicago’s Sears Tower. On learning of this minor difference, Malaysia’s prime minister pushed the architects and engineers to make the towers taller!

Excavation work for the towers began early 1993 and each night over 500 truckloads of earth was moved out. The construction of the towers began in April 1994, after rigorous tests and simulations to ensure the design could withstand the structural load and high altitude winds. High-strength concrete, which was twice as effective as steel in sway reduction was used extensively, resulting in a structural system that was not just sophisticated in design but also sturdy despite its slender appearance.

Over 160,000 m3 of high-strength concrete was pumped for the project but what is particularly remarkable, from an engineering perspective, was the concrete pour which required a truckload to arrive every 2.5 minutes for a flat 50+ hours at a stretch. Each tower required an immense foundation and for nearly 54 hours, concrete was poured non-stop into the foundation raft making this the largest concrete pour in the region.

Fitting out of the interiors complete with furniture was done by 1996 with PETRONAS’s personnel moving in the following year. The structure was formally inaugurated in August 1999 and remains, till date, one of the tallest structures in the world!

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