Malaysia, it is not possible to imagine this country without visualizing the tallest twin towers in the world. The Petronas Towers have become the hallmark of the capital, Kuala Lumpur and from all over the country. They became the tallest towers in the world, although this record was snatched by the new skyscraper in Taiwan, Taipei 101. If you want to know much more about these emblematic towers, do not miss this article that we have entitled The Petronas Towers – Facts, photos and plans of the tallest building in the world.
Where are the Petronas Twin Towers
Many travelers who have had the pleasure of visiting Kuala Lumpur, They come very surprised by the spectacular nature of the towers, they say that it is certainly worth traveling to Malaysia just for the simple fact of being able to contemplate this emblematic and impressive building.
The towers were built on a site located in the center of the financial, business and commercial area of the city, Kuala Lumpur. Nevertheless, the petronas towersdue to its large size, can be seen from all over the city, so it is difficult to get lost, simply by looking up we can locate ourselves. However, the full address is as follows: Kuala Lumpur City Centre, 50088 Kuala Lumpur, Federal Territory of Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
Architect of the Petronas Twin Towers
The authorities of Kuala Lumpur, made the decision in the early 1990s to make the capital of Malaysia a place of reference worldwide. Like any major city, it would be endowed with a modern financial district. For this, approximately twenty hectares to create office buildings, shops, flats, mosques and other services. A 21st century city, designed for the future. Malaysia was then emerging as one of the most emerging economies.
To carry out this ambitious project a contest of designs and ideas was convened on an international level. The design that won the contest belonged to study of architects Pelli & Associates.
César Pelli Argentine by birth and with American nationality, he studied at the University of Tucuman. After graduating, he carried out various projects in Argentina until he moved to live in the United States in 1952. Dean of the Faculty of Architecture at Yale University. He stands out among the most important projects of his;
How long did it take to build the Petronas Twin Towers?
Once the project has been awarded, in 1992 the planning of the work beginsthe beginning of this was in March 1993 with the foundation of the work. The superstructure would start in April 1994a very complex structure since the impact of the wind had to be taken into account, carrying out different resistance studies, in addition to added challenges such as maintaining its verticality while it was being built, a superstructure that should house 88 floors.
This structure is finished at the beginning of 1996, year in which the conditioning of the interior spaces will begin. In January 1997, the first group of people began to operate inside the building, conditioning personnel, service, maintenance, etc. On August 31, 1999, it was officially inaugurated with the attendance of the fourth Prime Minister of Malaysia.
Petronas Twin Towers Fact Sheet
The technical sheet of the Petronas Towers, will be the following:
Structure of the Petronas Twin Towers
The structure is based on a central core square and 23 x 23 meters, This core is made of reinforced concrete and is attached to a ring that surrounds perimeter formed by 16 columns of concrete.
Floors built in structural steelmuch lighter, with laminated steel beams 457mmthese beams will be placed every 2.8 m. The foundation was made from a concrete slab which in turn is supported by a labyrinth of columns underground reinforced concrete.
As the building gains in height, the towers are narrowing for structural reasons being necessary to maintain the vertical axis of the towers, it will do so in stages until reaching the pinnacle or small vault 73.5 m high that tops the structure. Inside the higher floors, the walls will have a sloping shape, walls that end up converging on the pinnacle that tops the building.
Outer Structure
Externally each of the towers is bordered by a set of 16 reinforced concrete columnsthese columns configure the angles of the central star, giving rise to a space of 46 m in diameter. Reinforced concrete was used in these pillars or columns. for it to have sufficient strength and the right size, it was about making a building visually light, so the columns should not be too cumbersome. Each column has a diameter of 2.4 mall joining at the top by steel beams reinforced with concrete.
between column and column there is one separation of 8-10 meters, these spaces have been reinforced with a reinforced concrete and steel framework. The success of its exterior structure lies in the fact that only a small part of the columns can be seen on the façade and not the 16, which are the ones that support the entire load.
the bridge
There is a bridge that joins both towersthis bridge is supported by a large ring-shaped bearing at the base, his length is 58.4m. The biggest difficulty in its design and construction was taking into account that each tower will sit differently and the bridge must bear the difference in movements.
To solve this problem, we chose join the bridge to each tower by means of articulated supports in the form of an inverted Vit rested on the 29th floor, being its function that the bridge never comes close to the towerbeing able to oscillate individually without transmitting the movement to any of the two towers.
Petronas Twin Towers Materials
How could it be otherwise, these towers are smart buildings, capable of coordinating the different services, whether telecommunications, such as environmental control, lighting, security, etc. Building built with reinforced concrete inside and its facade in steel, aluminum and glass. Serve as a curiosity, the building has 32,000 windows. The flooring they have a steel frame with reinforced concrete plates.
In the entrance and halls the decoration has used mirrored trim and glass panels. For the main entrance we have opted for the concepts of the traditional craft so it is very rich in traditional tapestries or Songket.