Petronas Towers

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Petronas Towers

Record height
Tallest in the world from 1998 to 2004
[I]

Preceded by Willis Tower
Surpassed by Taipei 101
General information
Type
Commercial offices and tourist
attraction
Architectural
style
Post-modern architecture
Location
Jalan Ampang
Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
Coordinates
3.15785N
101.71165ECoordinates:
3.15785N 101.71165E
Groundbreaking 1 January 1992
Construction 1 March 1993
started
Completed 1 March 1996
Inaugurated 1 August 1999
Renovated 1 January 1997
Cost US$1.6 billion
Owner KLCC Holdings Sdn Bhd
Height
Architectural 451.9 m (1,483 ft)
[1]

Roof 378.6 m (1,242 ft)
Top floor 375 m (1,230 ft)
[1]

Technical details
Floor count 88 (+5 basement floors)
[1]

Floor area 395,000 m
2
(4,252,000 sq ft)
Lifts/elevators 78
Design and construction
Architect Csar Pelli
[1]

Developer KLCC Holdings Sdn Bhd
[1]

Structural
engineer
Thornton Tomasetti
[1]

Main contractor
Tower 1: Hazama Corporation
Tower 2: Samsung Engineering &
Construction and Kukdong
Engineering & Construction
City Center: B.L. Harbert
International
References
[1][2][3][4][5]

The Petronas Towers, also known as the Petronas Twin Towers (Malay: Menara Petronas,
or Menara Berkembar Petronas) are twin skyscrapers in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. According
to the Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat (CTBUH)'s official definition and ranking,
they were the tallest buildings in the world from 1998 to 2004 and remain the tallest twin towers
in the world. The buildings are a landmark of Kuala Lumpur, along with nearby Kuala Lumpur
Tower.
Contents
1 History
2 Comparison with other towers
3 Anchor tenants
o 3.1 Suria KLCC
o 3.2 KLCC park
o 3.3 Skybridge
o 3.4 Lift system
o 3.5 Service building
4 Notable events
5 Quotations
6 See also
7 References
8 External links
History
The towers were designed by Argentine American architect Csar Pelli. They chose a distinctive
postmodern style to create a 21st-century icon for Kuala Lumpur. 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, beginning on 1 March 1993
with the excavation, which involved moving 500 truckloads of earth every night to dig down 30
metres (98 ft) 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, and the first batch of Petronas personnel moved into the building on 1 January 1997. The
building was officially opened by the Prime Minister of Malaysia's Tun Dr. Mahathir bin
Mohamad on 1 August 1999.
[6]
The twin towers were built on the site of Kuala Lumpur's race
track.
[7]
Test boreholes found that the original construction site effectively sat on the edge of a
cliff. One half of the site was decayed limestone while the other half was soft rock. The entire
site was moved 61 metres (200 ft) to allow the buildings to sit entirely on the soft rock.
[8]

Because of the depth of the bedrock, the buildings were built on the world's deepest
foundations.
[9]
104 concrete piles, ranging from 60 to 114 metres (197 to 374 ft) deep, were
bored into the ground. The concrete raft foundation, comprising 13,200 cubic metres
(470,000 cu ft) of concrete was continuously poured through a period of 54 hours for each tower.
The raft is 4.6 metres (15 ft) thick, weighs 32,500 tonnes (35,800 tons) and held the world record
for the largest concrete pour until 2007.
[8]
The foundations were completed within 12 months by
Bachy Soletanche and required massive amounts of concrete.
[10]
Its engineering designs on
structural framework were contributed by Haitian engineer Domo Obiasse and colleagues Aris
Battista and Princess D Battista. The Petronas Towers' structural system is a tube in tube design,
invented by Fazlur Rahman Khan.
[11][12]
Applying a tube-structure for extreme tall buildings is a
common phenomenon.
[13]

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.
[14]

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.
[15]

As a result of the Malaysian government specifying that the buildings be completed in six years,
two construction consortiums were hired to meet the deadline, one for each tower. Tower 1, the
west tower (right in the top-right photograph) was built by a Japanese consortium led by the
Hazama Corporation (JA Jones Construction Co., MMC Engineering Services Sdn Bhd, Ho Hup
Construction Co. Bhd and Mitsubishi Corp) while Tower 2, the east tower (left in the top-right
photograph) was built by a South Korean consortium led by the Samsung C&T Corporation
(Kukdong Engineering & Construction and Syarikat Jasatera Sdn Bhd). 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 became the first to reach the world's tallest building at the time. Though
as a result of rushing to build this tower, tower 2 ran into problems when they discovered the
structure was leaning 25 millimetres (0.98 in) off from vertical. To correct the lean, the next 16
floors were slanted back 20 millimetres (0.79 in) with specialist surveyors hired to check
verticality twice a day until the building's completion.
[8]

Due to the huge cost of importing steel, the towers were constructed on a cheaper radical design
of super high-strength reinforced concrete.
[16]
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-by-23
metre concrete cores
[17]
and an outer ring of widely spaced super columns, the towers use a
sophisticated structural system that accommodates its slender profile and provides 560,000
square metres of column-free office space.
[18]
Below the twin towers is Suria KLCC, a shopping
mall, and Dewan Filharmonik Petronas, the home of the Malaysian Philharmonic Orchestra.
Comparison with other towers


In accordance with CTBUH, the pinnacles contributed to the overall height of the towers, thus
surpassing Willis Tower.


Development of the Tower 1 level 43-floor plan from a Rub el Hizb symbol.
[19]

The Petronas Towers were the tallest buildings in the world for six years, until Taipei 101 was
completed in 2004. The height of the towers is measured to the top of their structural
components such as spires, but do not include antennas.
[20]
Spires are considered actual integral
parts of the architectural design of buildings, to which changes would substantially change the
appearance and design of the building, whereas antennas may be added or removed without such
consequences. The Petronas Towers still remain the tallest twin buildings in the world.
[21]



The Petronas Towers and the Kuala Lumpur Tower dominate the skyline of Kuala Lumpur's
Central Business District.


The Petronas's height compared to some other well-known tall structures
Willis Tower (formerly Sears Tower) and the World Trade Center towers were each constructed
with 110 occupied floors 22 more than the 88 floors of the Petronas Towers. Willis Tower's
tallest antenna is 75.41 m (247.4 ft) taller than those of the Petronas Towers, however, in
accordance with CTBUH regulations and guidelines,
[22]
the antennas of Willis Tower were not
counted as part of its architectural features.
[23]
The spires on the Petronas Towers are included in
the height since they are not antenna masts. Therefore, the Petronas Towers exceed the official
height of Willis Tower by 10 m (33 ft) even though the roof of Petronas Towers at 378.6 metres
(1,242 ft) is 63.4 m (208 ft) lower than the roof of Willis Tower at 442 metres (1,450 ft).
The Petronas Towers feature a diamond-faceted facade consisting of 83,500 square metres
(899,000 sq ft) of stainless steel extrusions. In addition, a 33,000-panel curtain wall cladding
system resides within the towers. While the stainless steel element of the towers entices the
illustrious sun, highlighting the magnificent towers, they are composed of 55,000 square metres
(590,000 sq ft) of 20.38-millimetre (0.802 in) laminated glass to reduce heat by reflecting
harmful UV rays.
[24]

On the top of each tower is a pinnacle standing 73.5 metres (241 ft) tall. The pinnacles were
more than just the finishing touches to the height of the towers, each taking over 19 weeks to
construct and both being assembled outside the country. One was constructed in Japan and the
other in Korea. Each pinnacle is composed of 50 unique parts making up the main components:
the spire, mast ball and ring ball. Together these parts weigh 176 tons. While the pinnacles may
seem to be an aesthetic feature of the towers to enhance their presence and height, they also play
function to aircraft warning lights and are an essential element to the overall Islamic minaret
design that the towers embody.
[24]

The interiors of the towers highlight the Malaysian cultural inspiration to the design through
traditional aspects such as fabric and carvings typical of the culture, specifically evident in the
foyer of the entrance halls in the towers.
[24]

The construction of the Petronas Towers turned out to be a multinational effort. The structural
design engineers worked out of New York City, while the wind-tunnel consultants and elevator
design engineers were from Canada. To meet local safety construction codes, the towers had to
be able to withstand 65 miles per hour (105 km/h) winds. To assure this requirement would be
fulfilled, the engineers tested the towers twice within a wind tunnel, first by computer simulation
and second by building an actual model of the towers.
[25]

Anchor tenants


A skybridge connects the two towers


An inside view of the skybridge


View to the northwest from the Petronas Towers skybridge, including the shadow of Tower 1
and the skybridge, and the Public Bank Berhad building


One of the Petronas Towers spires
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.
[26]
A number of companies have offices in Tower Two, including Huawei
Technologies, AVEVA, Al Jazeera English, Carigali Hess, Bloomberg, Boeing, IBM, Khazanah
Nasional Berhad, McKinsey & Co, TCS, HCL Technologies, Krawler, Microsoft, The Agency (a
modelling company) and Reuters.
Suria KLCC
Main article: Suria KLCC
Suria KLCC is a 140,000 m
2
(1,500,000 sq ft) upmarket retail center at the feet of the Petronas
Towers. It features mostly foreign luxury goods and high-street labels. Its attractions include an
art gallery, a philharmonic theatre, an underwater aquarium and also a Science center. Suria
KLCC is one of the largest shopping malls in Malaysia.
[27]

KLCC park
Main article: KLCC Park
Spanning 17 acres (6.9 ha) 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, which is the highest 2-story bridge in the world.
[28]
It is not attached to the main structure,
but is instead designed to slide in and out of the towers to prevent it from breaking,
[29]
as the
towers sway several feet
[specify]
in towards and away from each other during high winds. It also
provides some structural support to the towers in these occasions. The bridge is 170 m (558 ft)
above the ground and 58 m (190 ft) long, weighing 750 tons.
[30]
The same floor is also known as
the podium, since visitors going to higher levels have to change elevators here. The skybridge is
open to all visitors, but tickets are limited to about 1000 people per day, and must be obtained on
a first-come, first-served basis. Initially, the visit was free but in 2010, the tickets started being
sold by Petronas. Visitors can choose to opt for package one which is just a visit to the skybridge
or go for package two to go to the skybridge and all the way to level 86.
[31]
Visitors are only
allowed on the 41st floor as the 42nd floor can only be used by the tenants of the building.
[32]

The skybridge also acts as a safety device, so that in the event of a fire or other emergency in one
tower, tenants can evacuate by crossing the skybridge to the other tower.
[33]
The total evacuation
triggered by a bomb hoax on 12 September 2001 (the day after the September 11 attacks
destroyed the twin towers of the World Trade Center in New York City) showed that the bridge
would not be useful if both towers need to be emptied simultaneously, as the capacity of the
staircases was insufficient for such an event.
[34]
Plans thus call for the lifts to be used if both
towers need to be evacuated, and a successful drill following the revised plan was conducted in
2005.
There is a two hinged arch that supports the skybridge with arch legs, each 51 metres (167 ft)
long, that are bolted to level 29 of each of the towers.
[24]
After being constructed on the ground,
the skybridge was lifted into place on the towers over a period of three days
[25]
in July 1995
[24]

but instead of being directly connected to the towers, the skybridge can shift or slide in and out
of them to counterbalance any effect from the wind. Residing on the 41st and 42nd floors, the
skybridge connects a conference room, an executive dining room and a prayer room.
[25]

Lift system
The main bank of Otis Lifts is located in the centre of each tower. All main lifts are double-
decker with the lower deck of the lift taking passengers to even-numbered floors and upper deck
to odd-numbered floors. To reach an odd-numbered floor from ground level, passengers must
take an escalator to the upper deck of the lift.
[35]

There are 29 double-deck passenger elevators, but there are different sets that service certain
floors of the towers, specifically two sets of six of these double-deck passenger elevators to
floors 123 and 137 respectively. Another set of 5 passenger lifts transport passengers to the
41st and 42nd floors where they can switch lifts to reach the upper zones of the buildings, each
double-deck passenger lift with the capacity of 52 passengers or, 26 passengers per deck. There
are also 6 heavy-duty elevators for utility.
From the ground floor, there are three groups of lifts. The "short haul" group of 6 lifts take
passengers to floors between level 2/3 and level 16/17. The "mid haul" group of six lifts take
passengers to floors between level 18/19 and level 37/38. There is also a set of shuttle lifts that
take passengers directly to levels 41/42. To get to levels above 41/42, passengers must take the
shuttle lifts, then change to lifts to the upper floors. These connecting lifts are directly above the
lifts that serve levels 2 to 38. The pattern now repeats with the upper levels, one set serving
levels 43/44 to 57/58 and one set serving levels 59/60 to levels 73/74.
[35]

Apart from this main bank of lifts, there are a series of "connecting" lifts to take people between
the groups. Unlike the main lifts, these are not the double-decker type. Two lifts are provided to
take people from levels 37/38 to levels 41/42 (levels 39 and 40 are not accessible as office
space). This spares someone in the lower half of the building from having to go back to the
ground floor to go to the upper half of the building.
The lifts contain a number of safety features. It is possible to evacuate people from a lift stuck
between floors by manually driving one of the adjacent lifts next to it and opening a panel in the
wall. It is then possible for people in the stuck lift to walk between lift cars.
[36]
During an
evacuation of the buildings, only the shuttle lift is allowed to be used, as there are only doors at
levels G/1 and levels 41/42; therefore should there be a fire in the lower half of the building, this
enclosed shaft would remain unaffected. Firefighter lifts are also provided in case of
emergency.
[36]

Service building
The service building is to the east of the Petronas Towers and contains the services required to
keep the building operational, such as dissipating the heat from the air-conditioning system for
all 88 levels in both towers.
Notable events


The Petronas Towers
The climax of the 1999 film Entrapment was filmed at the skybridge.
[37]

The Petronas Towers are in the first frame of film after the opening credit in the Pilot episode of
the Emmy Award Winning show 24.
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.
[38][39]

Thousands of people were evacuated on 12 September 2001 after a bomb threat was
phoned the day after the September 11 attacks destroyed the World Trade Center towers
in New York City. Bomb Disposal squads found no bomb in the Petronas towers but they
evacuated everyone. Workers and shoppers were allowed to return three hours later,
around noon. No one was hurt during the evacuation.
[40]

In the 2002 Eidos video game Hitman 2: Silent Assassin, the Malaysia levels Basement
Killing, The Graveyard Shift, & The Jacuzzi Job all take place in the Petronas Towers.
[41]

In 2002, Petronas Twin Towers can be seen in popular animated series of Jackie Chan
Adventure ( Season 3, Episode 6 "When Pigs Fly").
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.
[42]

On the morning of 1 September 2009, French urban climber Alain "Spiderman" Robert,
using only his bare hands and feet and with no safety devices, scaled to the top of Tower
Two in just under 2 hours after two previous efforts had ended in arrest.
[43]
On 20 March
1997, police arrested him at the 60th floor, 28 floors away from the "summit." He made a
second attempt on 20 March 2007, exactly 10 years later, and was stopped once again on
the same floor, though on the other tower.
[44]

Several scenes of the popular Bollywood film Don: The Chase Begins Again were filmed
in the Petronas Towers and its skybridge.
[45]
tr
In Phineas and Ferb's episode "Phineas and Ferb Save Summer!", The Petronas Twin
Towers was seen in the musical "Summer All Over the World" .
[46]