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Height: 1,483 ft (452 meters)
Owners: Kuala Lumpur City Centre Holdings Sendirian Berhad
Architects: Cesar Pelli & Associates
Engineers: Thornton-Tomasetti Engineers
Contractors: Mayjus and SKJ Joint Ventures
Topping Out: 1998
Official Opening: August 28, 1999
From time immemorial, man's ingenuity and ambition have spurred the construction of stunning structures that have left their indelible marks forever on our planet. The list is spectacularly impressive, from ancient to modern times. For decades, the Empire State Building in New York stood proudly as the tallest structure in the world. But now, with the Petronas Twin Towers hitting the skies of Kuala Lumpur at 451.9metres from street level, the American structure has lost its long-standing glitter to Malaysia.
From all counts, the Petronas Twin Towers is a modern-day architectural marvel, with the stupendous design undertaken by world-renowned architects Cesar-Pelli & Associates, selected through an international competition in 1991. The floor plate of the Towers took into perspective geometric patterns common in Islamic architectural heritage. The geometric shape facilities efficient office layout planning while the contiguous windows provide occupants with panoramic views of the city and surrounding areas.
The exterior of the Petronas Twin Towers is organized in horizontal ribbons of vision glass and stainless steel which glint and shimmer spectacularly in the sun. The structures of the Tower consist of a core and cylindrical tube frame system constructed entirely of cast-in situ high strength concrete. Core walls (23 metres by 23 metres) from the inner core while a circular cylindrical tube of 46-metre diameter forms the outer tube.
Floor
framing at Tower levels are concrete fill of conventional strength on steel
floor decking supported by steel beams. The average office storey height is
4 metres with floor to ceiling height of 2.65 metres. The imposing
73.5-metres tall pinnacles, visible from practically all parts of the city,
are the crowning glory of the Twin structures.The Twin Towers have gross area of 341,763 square metres (3.67 million square feet) For offices, executive amenities and conference facilities. Within the total integrated complex development are an 850-seat international-class Concert Hall, a Petroleum Discovery Centre, a Reference Library covering the energy petroleum, petrochemical and related industries, and an Art Gallery. Linking the Twin Towers at the 41st and 42nd levels is the 58.4-metre Skybridge standing 170 metres above street level. Its arch supports form a symbolic gateway to the city.
As word gets around fast, the Petronas Twin Towers will definitely become a top international tourist draw and will serve as a spectacular national monument, symbolic of Malaysia's aspirations of attaining developed nation status by the year 2020.