INTRODUCTION

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Restoring Architectures Wonder

A few years ago, architecture suffered a cultural setback that received little notice in architectural circles. A news magazine in the U.S. carried a cover story on the seven wonders of today. And on this list, there was not a single building. From ancient times, at least one work of architecture had always been among the world's wonders. Among the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World, one could count five buildings: the Pyramids of Egypt, the Hanging Gardens of Babylon, the Temple of Artemis at Ephesus, the Mausoleum at Halicarnassus, and the Pharos of Alexandria. But In a world with jumbo jets, microchips, and artificial hearts, architecture appears to have lost its wonder.

The Petronas Towers in Kuala Lumpur, now the tallest twin tower buildings on earth, rightfully restore architecture as a world wonder. Their design by Cesar Pelli reflects a melding of East and West. From the West, the Petronas Towers embody the great spirit of buildings that reach to the heavens, a spirit born on the plains of the American Midwest and now found on nearly e cry continent on earth. The towers reflect the latest technology in making tall buildings, with modern materials such as stainless steel cladding, which makes these spires glisten on the skyline.

From the East, Pelli's design embraces the architecture and decorative arts of Malaysia. When viewed in plan, the towers appear as two overlapping squares-interlocking heaven and earth-to create an eight-pointed star, which is further refined with half-circles between tile star points. The spirit of the geometry is Islamic-the dominant Malaysian culture-and the geometric pattern are found throughout the country in screens, architectural ornament, and decorative arts.

Other Eastern cultural and environmental elements are woven into the towers' form. The conical spires which step back six times as they rise on the city skyline suggest ceremonial towers. The windows on the towers are shaded with deep overhangs, which help cut solar gain and cool this building in its tropical climate.

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For Pelli, one of the towers' most significant architectural characteristics is Eastern in nature: the space between them. The Petronas Towers are placed on a central axis, framing a doorway to the infinite with a bridge that connects the two towers at the 41st and 42nd floors. In the spirit of Lao Tse, the Chinese philosopher who stressed that architecture's power lies not in its physical walls but instead in the space created by those walls, the towers together create a powerful super-scaled portal.

With the Petronas Towers, Pelli has created a truly "global" architecture. They open like the eye of a needle to thread the world, stitching two cultures together, and stand as a world wonder that joins East and West. Michael J Crosbie

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The background of Petronas Tower

In the early 1980s, the Malaysian government decided to relocate the Selangor Turf Club to the edge of the city. This presented the opportunity to develop this land to meet the demands of urban growth. The site is very well located in the heart of the commercial district, the Golden Triangle.

The Petronas Towers were planned as part of a larger complex, Kuala Lumpur City Centre. The client group, Kuala Lumpur City Centre Bhd, was created specifically to acquire and develop the 100-acre site previously occupied by the Selangor Turf Club. There is both private and public involvement in the project. Petronas, the national petroleum company of Malaysia, is both a part owner and a key tenant. Datuk Seri Dr. Mahathir Mohamad, the Prime Minister of Malaysia, has shown great interest in the design and construction progress of the buildings as part of "Wawasan (Vision) 2020," the government plan for Malaysian progress.

An international competition was held in 1990 to select a master plan for the site. The winning scheme was prepared by Klages, Carter, Vail and Partners of Costa Mesa, California. The city mayor and his planning team, KLCCS and its consultants made further improvements to the master plan, and it was later approved by the city planning authority.

INTRODUCTION

Why Skyscrapers?
Why do we build tall buildings? Very tall structures were built at great effort by almost every culture in all regions of the earth. The urge to build s high as possible appears to be a common trait of human culture. It is recorded in the Bible in the story of the Tower of Babel, "and they said: go to, let us build us a city and a tower whose lop may reach unto heaven." The builders thought that they could reach heaven with their construction, and apparently so did God, and He punished them for their audacity. What interests me most in the biblical account is that its writers took it for granted that tile human desire to build as high as possible was universally shared.

Ancient Egyptians started building pyramids some 5,000 years ago and the height of the Great Pyramid of Cheops in Gizell 0 47m) was not surpassed by any building until the 19th century. Ziggur'ats in Mesopotamia is almost as old and was probably the model for the Tower of Babel. The steps of Jllany ziggurats represented the seven levels of heaven and it was thought that the priests who climbed them reached the apex of the universe. These structures were basically piles of stone or brick, but to be very tall and vertical they required the most sophisticated engineering of the time. Mayan pyramids, Egyptian obelisks, Chinese pagodas, and Moslem minarets are examples of the widespread desire to build not only tall, but as thin as possible. All these structures strive to be taller than anything nearby. Their vertical forms were often seen against the horizon, or emerging above a horizontal line of trees or rooftops. They perhaps recreate the primeval image of a person standing against the horizon line, two intersecting lines, representing humanity and the earth very tall structures are place markers. The steeple of Salisbury Cathedral (1258) is seen at a great distance, even today, as a thin, pointed, very tall gesture that marks a special place. Steeples of churches have marked towns all over Christendom and they are essential in the traditional image of medieval city or a New England town. Today, the tallest structures in most cities are skyscrapers and they also mark urban places. Sometimes, they also give form to our cities; they are not monuments, but places of work, office buildings. Skyscrapers were made possible by the invention of the elevator by

INTRODUCTION

Elijah Otis in 1852, and the development of iron and then steel structures. The first skyscraper was either the Western Union Building by George Post (New York, 1875) or the Home Life Insurance Building by William LeBaron Jenney (Chicago, 1884), depending on the definition used. That ten-story-structure such as these would not be considered skyscrapers to ay points to a peculiar quality of this building type: its dependence on its relationship with its surroundings. The invention of the skyscraper and the development of practical and theoretical knowledge of its properties took place almost entirely in two American cities: Chicago and New York, Skyscrapers remain as preeminently American building forms although they are being built all over the world.

There were four main periods in the development of the skyscraper; the first began around 1880 and lasted until 1908-1909. During this period, architects tried to adapt existing building types, most notably the Renaissance palazzo, to the new heights allowed by elevators. The first "skyscraper" may have been built in New York, but it is in Chicago where the great buildings of this period were constructed or designed. The very high buildings of this era went no higher than 14 stories (much lower than the Great Pyramid of Cheops) and not one of them plays the role of skyscraper in today's context. The second period, when skyscrapers grew to full bloom, started in the early 20th century and was brought to a close by tile Great Depression. This took place primarily in New York, The Metropolitan Life Insurance Company Tower by Napoleon Le Brun (New York, 1909) marks its beginning, Rather than the tradition al palazzo form, the architect selected a tower as his model: the campanile in the Piazza San Marco in Venice, He did this because the tower-campanile expresses another important aspect of the skyscraper the celebration of the ability to build a vertical object so tall that It becomes the dominant element on the skyline. The Chrysler and the Empire State Buildings, built in this period, are still seen by most people as best expressing the potential beauty of skyscrapers.

The third period started after World War II and lasted until the mid 1970s. Buildings were designed within the framework of International Modernism that had become the dominant direction in architecture Mics van der Rohe was the most influential designer of tall buildings in

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(his period. They were rectangular, prismatic forms with flat roofs. Because modernist buildings avoided symbolic qualities he called his tall buildings high-rises and not skyscrapers. The fourth period started in the late 1970s and is still developing It has seen the internationalization of skyscrapers and a renewed interest in their silhouettes and symbolic potential. The Petronas Towers are a good example of this latest period. The towers reached their maximum height in March 1996 and started to be occupied in January 1997. Tile Dewan Filharmonik Petronas Hall hosted its first concert in August 1998 and the grand opening celebration for the Petronas Towers took place in August 1999. Since their forms started to emerge on the Kuala Lumpur skyline, the Petronas Towers have become familiar and important symbols of pride and achievement for the people of Kuala Lumpur and Malaysia. The towers appear again and again over the trees and rooftops of tile city and their combined silhouette is instantly recognizable although always changing. I believe the Petronas Company, KLCC Berhad, and the people of Malaysia possess now, in our executed design, exactly the proud symbol they had hoped for.

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As The Cornerstone Of Kuala Lumpur City Centre

AS the cornerstone of Kuala Lumpur City Centre, The PETRONAS Twin Towers are a landmark development in Prime Minister, Datuk Seri Dr. Mahathir Mohamad's Vision 2020 for Malaysia. They represent a feat of engineering unparalleled in Malaysia, moving the country ever closer to its goal of becoming a fully developed industrialized nation. In this article, Tan Sri Datuk Seri Azizan Zainul Abidin, Chairman of KLCC (Holdings) Bhd. (KLCCH) and Chairman of PETRONAS describes how the building of these unique structures has set the pace for the country's national development programmed and enhanced Malaysia's image worldwide. "When Kuala Lumpur City Centre (KLCC) and the Twin Towers were still at the planning stage, the Prime Minister said that he would like the development to be distinctive and draw the attention of the world to Malaysia. By making the country better known, it would help Malaysia gain acceptance, and attract the investment required to develop the country further. It would also allow us to make an effective contribution to the development of the world community.

The world is becoming a global village. We are on the threshold of a new era which hopefully will usher in a better world in which the smaller, developing nations will have a fair share of the growing prosperity. With globalization we see a global civilization developing. We would like to be taken seriously and to contribute to the development of this global civilization. What PETRONAS is doing in KLCC is not just putting up a building to house its headquarters, but also developing the project as a centre for arts and culture. PETRONAS Concert Hall is our contribution to the development of the arts in the country and the means for Malaysia to participate in the process of nurturing the emerging global civilization. PETRONAS' approach to the develop-meant is essentially holistic. In KLCC, this approach was applied by combining business, art, science and nature as reflected in the setting up of the petroleum exhibition centre and the engineering involved in the construction of the Towers, the art gallery and the artists'

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corner, and the landscaped park. Through this approach, PETRONAS has managed to play a major role towards the achievement of the nation's aspiration to broaden its technology base, draw worldwide attention and contribute to the evolving global civilization." "We are now looking to a future Malaysia that is more industrialized, with an economy based on high technology and higher capital outlay, producing and providing quality and sophisticated products and services. Its market is the whole world, especially the region. KLCC will provide a centre for activities in support of these activities. KLCC was developed by Kuala Lumpur for Centre Berhad (KLCCB). Our architects and engineers worked together Cesar Pelli and various consultants tan all over the world. Some of the local professionals who have benefited from tier stint on the project have left us to sell up their own firms and are making an impact on the country. The KLCC project has brought to Malaysia new standards in real estate development in trams of design, technology, and materials affair project management. In the future, KLCC and the PETRONAS Twin Towers will certainly be used to benchmark quality buildings." Based on its experience in developing the KLCC, KLCCB was appointed project manager for the development of Putrajaya, a new city outside Kuala Lumpur which will be the seat for the Federal Government administration. As Tan Sri Azizan explained: "We are now able to undertake the development of world-class real estate projects. We have also developed new technologies and materials for use in Malaysia. These were the benefits we gained from the KLCC project. There are always new things to learn." "We are now looking for other opportunities to build new townships. One of my dreams is to set up an entity which will apply in an integrated manner the advances made in building materials, construction methods and management skills to produce attractively designed, good quality, affordable housing. Required many wind tunnel studies, looking at 100 year wind conditions. Simultaneously with doing the detailed design work, we were carrying out soil analyses at ground level to ascertain the type, size and positioning of the foundations."

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"Having defined the project and completed the space planning and architectural design we moved on to the foundations design. It was clear from the beginning that the amount of earthworks was going to be tremendous, as we were working 20 meters down on a 40-acre site. The volume of earth we had to ship out filled 500 truck-loads per night. The diaphragm wall then had to be anchored into the ground and 104 piles were put in place to a maximum depth of 120 meters. Pouring the foundations also proved a challenge, requiring 13,200 cubic meters of concrete in a single, 54-hour pour, for each tower, with chilled water constantly being sprayed on to the foundations to keep the temperature down." "Once the foundations were in place and we had passed the detailed design stage, we had to carry out studies examining the various options for the curtain wall and we modified the design of the sky bridge." "Every aspect of the project involved value engineering. We set a target for the budget and worked in accordance with that figure, making use of a computerized cost management system that enabled us to ensure that every buyer was within his budget limit. Most of the main items of capital expenditure, such as the elevators and the curtain walls were purchased before the main contractor were appointed. We adopted this approach, of purchasing long lead-time items in the early stages of the project, because we could not risk delays in the delivery of essential items. It is an approach taken from the oil industry. It also meant that we could achieve our target of 60 percent participation by local suppliers, as it gave the latter time to work together with foreign consultants to produce the necessary items of equipment." "Finally, we selected the contractors to undertake the job of constructing the Towers. The reason two contractors were chosen, one for each Tower, was not to introduce an element of competition but to provide a sounding board for each, so that in the event of a problem arising, the two could compare operations to see how best to overcome it. As a result, all parties benefited." "As a project, the construction of the Twin Towers was treated like a manufacturing plant operation. Formalized project planning and control systems were adopted to ensure that specified materials were used to achieve a high quality finished product. At any point in time

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during the construction period, we would be working on a total of 12 floors, so it was essential to ensure consistency of operations, which meant that the work processes had to be just right. Concrete takes three to four days to cure, for example, so that had to be built into the scheduling. Initially, we had some hiccups, for example, we discovered that the rebar work wasn't being undertaken very efficiently so we gave them a separate site to work on." "Managing a project in this way requires a lot of interaction between all the team members, allowing any problems to be recognized, analyzed and solved. One of the key elements of our success was an efficient, structured communications system with a well-defined methodology for reporting up and down. This enabled each team member to maintain a clear understanding of the project objectives, deliverables and milestones." "The close co-operation between overseas and local consultants and contractors throughout the project, has inevitably led to technology and skills being transferred, which can only benefit Malaysia. On the architectural design front, for example, KLCC architects are winning design contracts on the strength of their expertise gained on the Twin Towers project, such as that for the Putrajaya development. Most of the consultants and contractors operated as joint ventures with their local counterparts for the duration of the Twin Towers project, and many have gone on to do other jobs together in Malaysia. As well as creating opportunities locally for Malaysian firms, the technology transfer gained from the project has opened up potential business in Southeast Asia generally." "Our project management team has also gained tremendous expertise, as has KLCC Urusharta Sdn. Bhd., our property management arm. There are 150 people in the property management team, and local companies are currently bidding for the Towers' maintenance and cleaning contracts. Members of the management team are undergoing a structured training programmed, which we anticipate will lead to an increase in local building maintenance standards generally, as the Twin Towers require a very high standard of maintenance to achieve the quality of environment they have come to symbolize in Malaysia."

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As One Of The Fastest Emerging Industrialised Countries

As one of the fastest emerging industrialized countries in the economically vibrant Pacific Basin, Malaysia have become a magnet for foreign investors, with its abundant resources, productive workforce and stable political climate. The country's increasing economic prosperity has also shaped urban development in the capital, Kuala Lumpur, which has grown into a city with 1.2 million inhabitants. In the last few decades, a new business district has emerged called the 'Golden Triangle' area, encompassing many of the city's most prestigious commercial developments and corporate headquarters. Originally an exclusive residential enclave, this district was once occupied by large colonial villas set in relatively green surroundings next to the Selangor Turf Club. The availability of large lots and its proximity to the city centre made it an attractive location for hotels and commercial buildings. In the early 1980s the Malaysian Government's decision to relocate the Selangor Turf Club to the edge of the city, presented the opportunity to redevelop this prime site to meet the demands of urban growth. Occupying 100 acres of land in a burgeoning economic catchment area with access to the city's Main ring road, the former Turf Club site offered the ideal location for the development of a new City Centre which would reinforce Kuala Lumpur's emergent status as an international city moving into the 21st century. It was envisaged that when completed, the new Kuala Lumpur City Centre, or KLCC, as it became known, would be one of the world's largest real estate developments, affirming Malaysia's position on the world map of developed nations. It would also be a new national landmark, and as such had to be typically Malaysian, reflecting the country's natural beauty and tropical greenery, as well as the vibrant colors and patterns of its rich cultural heritage. Following approval of the development by the Malaysian Government, an international competition was organized in 1990 to select a Master Plan for the new city centre. The winning

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design, submitted by USA consultancy M/s Klages, Carter, Vail & Partners (KCV), was chosen by a committee representing the investors, the city and the Malaysian Government. High level Government involvement at both conceptual and design stages was crucial because of the national significance of the project. The winning design concept was that of an integrated, mixed-use development, where people could work, live, shop, visit and enjoy all aspects of life in a convenient and pleasant environment: A city within a city. The Master Plan advocated the development of 37 acres of the site into commercial facilities comprising office buildings, hotels and other residential facilities, shops, entertainment and recreational amenities, all built to a high international standard. The remaining 63 acres were to be developed as public areas including a sprawling, 5O-acre public park. The idea was to provide a sustainable development offering an appropriate balance between commercial and public land use, natural greenery and engineered masonry, an international image and Malaysia's natural heritage. The KLCC Park, for example, will function as both a 'green lung' and as a retreat for office workers, city dwellers and shoppers. Designed by the late landscape artist Roberto Burle Marx, it will encompass a main pond, fountains, playgrounds, landscaped gardens and shaded rest areas under lush tropical greenery, interspersed with displays of Malaysian sculptures, murals and mosaics to inspire visitors. Many of the trees from the former Selangor Turf Club were carefully transplanted to give the park a more mature appearance. About 18.5 million square feet of commercial space were approved for development in phases over a period of 10 to 15 years. This phased approach was adopted to allow for the gradual addition of new offices and apartments to Kuala Lumpur's property market. A phased development programme also allowed for more orderly and controlled construction activities, maximising on-site safety and reducing the impact of construction work on the environment and local traffic. Recognizing the potential impact of the KLCC development on local traffic flow, the developer, Kuala Lumpur City Centre Berhad (KLCCB), appointed traffic, Wilbur Smith Associates, to work

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closely with Kuala Lumpur City Hall and other Government agencies to implement comprehensive traffic improvement measures to cope with the anticipated volume of KLCC traffic. Improvements have included road widening schemes and the provision of better public transport facilities, such as the new Light Rail Transit (LRT) project, which will provide a direct link between the nearest LRT station on Jalan Ampang and the concourse level of Suria KLCC (KLCC's Retail Centre). The developers of KLCC contributed more than RM300 million to the city of Kuala Lumpur for such infrastructural developments. In keeping with the idea of providing a sustainable development, it was decided at an early stage to use local supply sources for materials, fittings and components, wherever possible, so that replacements would be available locally as and when required. In some cases, the project team worked with potential suppliers to develop new appliance designs to suit Malaysian conditions. These designs could then be used later by local manufacturers to expand their market, both locally and overseas. Substantial local participation was also ensured in KLCC's project management, design and construction teams, to allow the transfer of skills and technology from foreign consultants with experience of high-rise and intelligent building systems, to their local counterparts. To ensure the commercial viability of KLCC, the developer adopted the policy of building only when a tenant had been found for each of the 22 development sites, thus enabling buildings to be 'custom built' to tenants' own designs and specifications. One of KLCC's first major tenants is Malaysia's national oil company, Petroliam Nasional Berhad (PETRONAS). PETRONAS is also a principal shareholder in KLCC (Holdings) Bhd, the investment holdings company that owns KLCC. PETRONAS' involvement in the KLCC development arose at a time when the company was looking for a new headquarters building to house all of its Kuala Lumpur operations which were scattered throughout the city in 14 different locations. The opportunity to relocate in a single, high-rise building, offering greater efficiency in decisionmaking and substantial savings in time and communication costs, was too good to miss. In January 1991 PETRONAS took a majority stake in the KLCC development, securing its involvement in the master planning and design stages.

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Invitations were subsequently sent out to leading architectural firms to submit a design concept for the North-West corner of the site where the PETRONAS Headquarters building was to be located. The USA firm, Cesar Pelli & Associates' proposal was selected as the winning design. Anchoring the North-West development in Cesar Pelli's design, are the 88-storey PETRONAS Twin Towers, the world's tallest office buildings, soaring 452 metres above Kuala Lumpur's skyline. Their unique design, incorporating a skybridge which joins the two towers at the 41st and 42nd floors, and one of the world's most technologically advanced building information systems, paved the way for future development on the KLCC site. Another major part of the North-West development is the 1.5million gross square feet, sixstorey Suria KLCC, the Retail Centre. This will house more than 250 speciality shops, a multiscreen cine-plex, children's play area, family entertainment centre and two spacious food courts. Occupying a site area of more than 14 acres, the North-West corner of the project would provide more than 6 million gross square feet of mixed-use development, including 5,400 parking bays in a basement car park with an underground tunnel facilitating access to Jalan Tun Razak. When completed, it was anticipated thataibout 20,000 people would be working there. This figure was expected to rise to 50,000 for the entire KLCC project An internal road system was also planned to provide ingress and egress from KLCC to the major arterial roads around the development, as well as a main boulevard within the development with its own peoplemover system for its on-site population. The first phase of the KLCC project, scheduled for completion by 1998, includes the development of the PETRONAS Twin Towers, Menara Maxis and Suria KLCC (the retail complex) in the North-West corner of the site; the 30-storey Menara Esso, headquarters of the Esso Group of Companies in Malaysia, on the south side of the site; and the 50-acre public park. Other developments during this phase will include the 643-room Mandarin Oriental Kuala Lumpur and the Surau or mosque accommodating up to 6,000 worshippers for Friday prayers. When completed, KLCC will mark a milestone in the growth of Kuala Lumpur, setting the pace for urban planning and development in Malaysia with its flagship development, the PETRONAS

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Twin Towers, symbolising Malaysia's strength as an emerging economic power as well as the grace and beauty of its people.

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As Part Of Kuala Lumpur City Centre

As part of Kuala Lumpur City Centre (KLCC), one of the world's largest commercial developments, and headquarters of Malaysia's national oil corporation, the PETRONAS Twin Towers were designed to be both efficient and distinctive, combining creativity and functionality in a unique building. The design brief for the Twin Towers specified, among other things, the efficient utilisation of space, and the ability to accommodate the requirements of a modern buildings information system. In addition, comfort and maintainability had to be taken into consideration to create a pleasant working environment. This concept, of a state-of-the-art, ergo-nomic office building, would become the blueprint for subsequent development within KLCC, shaping the and implementation of future buildings on the site. Architecturally, the Towers had to be uniquely identifiable with Malaysia, reflecting its Islamic heritage and the fusion of traditional cultural elements with a modern, dynamic image. To achieve this blend, international architects provided the best and latest in terms of design and technology, while their local counterparts ensured that client requirements and local sensitivities were met. In their design, Cesar PelIi & Associates tried to respond to the climate, the dominant Islamic culture, and to the sense of form and patterning that could be perceived in traditional Malaysian buildings and objects. They also worked hard to avoid any sense of a cultural pastiche as it is all too easy to go over board and produce a caricature of a traditional design. Adapting a contemporary design required respect, control and considerable sensitivity. The design concept for the Twin Towers envisaged two 88-storey towers situated on a podium formed by a six-storey retail and entertainment centre. The towers would reach 452 metres above street level including a pinnacle of structural steel, clad in aluminium, commencing at level 88 for a height of 73.5 metres, and would be connected by a distinctive skybridge.

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Each tower provides about 185,000 square metres of floor area and comprises four levels of basement, concourse and concourse mezzanine levels, a two-level entrance lobby and a Sky Lobby at levels 41 and 42, providing access to the bridge link. The highest occupied floor is the Boardroom level on the 86th floor, 367 metres above street level. Within the Towers' podium link there is a 864-seater Concert Hall, home to the Malaysian Philharmonic Orchestra, and a Petroleum Discovery Centre (PETROSAINS). The general and corporate office spaces are supported by prayer facilities, a Conference Centre, fitness centre and maintenance team spaces. The Sky Lobby elevator arrangement is particularly effective in conserving hoistway space in such a tall building. The concept is, in effect, two tall buildings stacked one on top of the other with an elevator lobby at the base of each building. Passengers reach the lower floors using the conventional elevator lobbies at street level while, to reach the upper floors, passengers take high-speed, shuttle elevators to the sky lobby where they change into other elevators to take them to the higher floors. Technologically, the Twin Towers set the pace of development within the KLCC project, by introducing for the first time in Malaysia the use of chilled water for air conditioning supplied from a natural gas powered district cooling centre at KLCC. Aimed at reducing the peak-load burden on the national electricity grid, the cooling system uses Du Pont's chlorine-free, environmentally-friendly refrigerant, R-134A. The Towers also utilise highly efficient doubledeck lifts, another first in Malaysia, and incorporate a state-of-the-art intelligent building system, which would become a standard feature of many of the buildings within KLCC. On the architectural front, notable firsts included not only the height of the Towers, but also their mirror images and the unique skybridge. In conceptualising the design of a building of such national significance, it was also essential that the exterior of the Towers enhanced the prominence of the structure on the city skyline. It was therefore decided to use horizontal ribbons of vision glass and stainless steel panels on the exterior to catch the sunlight, so that the Towers would be visible from far outside the city producing a striking, innovative image.

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Forming A Symbolic Gateway To Klcc

Forming a symbolic gateway to KLCC and spanning the world's tallest office buildings with its distinctive three-pinned arch support, the skybridge of the PETRONAS Twin Towers is a testimony to the advanced engineering skills and heavy lifting technology developed by Kuala Lumpur City Centre Berhad (KL-CCB), their appointed consultants and their Malaysian counterparts in meeting the challenges of this unique structure. The primary function of this distinctive, dual-level bridge is as the circulation interchange between the Twin Towers, providing easy movement of office workers between the upper Tower floors with the minimum of lift transfers. It also doubles occupants' emergency exit options in the event of a fire and facilitates evacuation of the upper floors of one Tower if the emergency is confined to only one Tower. Standing 170 metres above street level, the skybridge connects the two Towers at levels 41 and 42, spanning 58.4 metres and weighing in at 750 tonnes. In collaboration with KLCCB, engineering consultants, Ranhill Bersekutu Sdn. Bhd. in association with Thornton-Tomasetti studied various structural options using state-of-the-art computer simulations and wind tunnel testing before arriving at the final design of the bridge. The structural system selected comprises a two-hinge arch supported by struts extending down to a support point at level 29 of each Tower. These struts rise at 63 degrees to support a pair of parallel two-span continuous bridge girders located at level 41. The arch legs consist of round tubes with a positive 400mm maximum camber to offset selfweighted deflection and to reduce significant stresses due to the Forward Deflection effect. Bearings which provide release of restraints at the appropriate location and direction were a key component in the skybridge design to accommodate wind induced movement of the supporting tower structures. The two-hinge arch supporting the bridge has rotational pins (spherical bearings) at the end of each leg, while the main bridge girders have a rotational pin directly over the arch crown to allow the crown to rise and fall as the Towers move closer or further apart.

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This three-pinned structure, with the supports at the Towers being unrestrained, eliminates large localised lateral forces which are applied by the bridge supporting on both Towers. The arch acts as a centring device, equalising joint movement at both Towers. As the Towers move together or apart, the legs change slope, the spherical bearings rotate at spring points and the legs flex at their top end. The bridge mid-point sinks or rises, flexing the two main girders. The girders are pinned to the arch crown, which stays centred between the Towers, while both girder end blocks slide on horizontal bearings to accommodate this movement. Each leg is also equipped with a tuned mass damper to reduce the vibration of the skybridge legs. To reduce the effect of girder flexure on bridge glazing, continuous expansion joints are provided through the level 41 and 42 structure, facade and roof to each side of the bridge's mid-point. This limits window panel movement to each half-span rather than allowing it to cumulate over the entire girder length. If the Towers should move side-to-side in opposing directions, or if they 'twist', the arch spring points twist on their spherical bearings and the bridge end bearings slide in opposing directions guided by 'sliding keeper' blocks on the bridge centreline. In the event that the bridge loses its arch support, the structure would not collapse but deflect and stay in position. Fabrication and pre-assembiy of the skybridge by Samsung Heavy Industries of South Korea took several months and was carried out to the highest international standards. It was then dismantled and shipped to Kuala Lumpur, where all 493 pieces, weighing more than 452 tonnes, were transported to the KLCC site, arriving in the first week of May 1995. To facilitate the lifting and positioning of the skybridge, the structure was pre-assembled in five sections comprising the two, 42.6-metre long legs, weighing about 60 tonnes each; the two, 30tonne end blocks and the centre section. VSL Heavy Lifting, a specialist in the field, was appointed to lift the structures into place. After months of preparation, the lifting operation finally commenced on 6 July 1995. This was a complex operation, comprising nine stages, starting with the lifting of the legs, one at a time. Temporary jacking platforms were installed on both Towers at five different levels, as well as

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holding frames and temporary ties at two levels. Using three lifting points, each leg was lifted by strand jacks at level 48 on both Towers. At a certain height, the leg was gradually righted and manoeuvred into a vertical position, control ties preventing the legs clashing with permanent features of the Tower. Once in position, the legs were lowered over their permanent bearings at level 29 using control cables. The legs were then secured and temporarily held in an upright position by holding frames on level 38. The next sections to be lifted were the two end-block girder frames. These were lifted individually using strand jacks with control ties preventing contact with the tower structure. The end-blocks were temporarily supported 100mm above their final position at level 41, and retracted slightly to provide sufficient clearance for the skybridge centre section during lifting. To lift the centre section of the bridge, weighing 325 tonnes, eight strand jack units were deployed, four connected to the bridge centre and four to the bridge ends, with restraining control lines emanating from the concourse level. The centre section was raised 1.5 metres and allowed to 'swing in' by releasing the horizontal restraints. It was then lifted about 11 metres and horizontally restrained, allowing for the upper 10 metres of the legs to be connected to the box girder and the access platform to be attached to the leg's temporary support. Lifting of the centre section to its final position on levels 41 and 42 commenced on 7 August 1995 after a final soffit cladding and paint check. At a minimum lifting speed of 12 metres/hour, the centre section was then gradually lifted to its final level plus 100mm to match the end block girder frames at level 41. This operation alone took 36 hours. The centre section and end-block frames were temporarily secured together to ensure no stress in the splice and an additional tie at level 43 from the centre section was attached to the end- block and made rigid. The girder frame was then adjusted to suit the splice connection requirements. This allowed the removal of the previous tie from the Tower block and any packing to the underside of the main plate girder, giving the bridge freedom of movement relative to the tower. These four splices were then welded and inspected, followed by welding of the main girder splice.

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INTRODUCTION

The legs were then lowered into place, one at a time, towards the centre of the skybridge, until they reached their final orientation. Once the girder splice welds were completed and the legs were in their final position, the skybridge end blocks were lowered to their permanent bearings on level 41. The centre section was then lowered to meet the legs and the box girder with the attached leg stubs beneath the bridge assembly was adjusted to the inclined leg tops. This was followed by final alignment checks, shimming and connection, and bolting to flanges. After the lifting system had been removed, the end section framing was erected using tower cranes, the floors were concreted and the skybridge cladded and roofed. The maintenance equipment was then set on stainless steel rails on top of the bridge. Prior to removal of the temporary access scaffolds and work platforms, the internal bridge floors and end walls were constructed, external lighting was installed and cladding infills, services and finishes were completed.

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INTRODUCTION

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