Discover the PETRONAS Towers, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

The PETRONAS Towers are twin skyscrapers in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. 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.

The PETRONAS Twin Towers symbolizes the Malaysian culture and advancement on the world stage, shown by a blend of local art and cutting-edge innovation. The interior motifs reflect local handicrafts and weaving patterns, while stainless steel and glass combine beautifully as Islamic patterns.

The design of each Tower's floor plate is based on simple Islamic geometric forms of two interlocking squares, creating a shape of eight-pointed stars. Architecturally, these forms describe important Islamic principles of "unity within unity, harmony, stability and rationality".

The towers were designed by Argentine architect Cesar 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 the construction started one year after on March 1 1993. The building was officially opened by the Prime Minister of Malaysia Mahathir bin Mohamad on 1 August 1999. The twin towers were built on the site of Kuala Lumpur's race track.

Petronas Towers Facts:

Because of the depth of the bedrock, the buildings were built on the world's deepest foundations. 104 concrete piles, ranging from 60 to 114 metres (197 to 374 ft) deep, were bored into the ground.
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.
Due to the huge cost of importing steel, the towers were constructed on a cheaper radical design of super high-strength reinforced concrete.
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
The Petronas Towers were the tallest buildings in the world for six years, until Taipei 101 was completed in 2004.
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.
Tower One is fully occupied by Petronas and several of its subsidiaries and associate companies, while the office spaces in Tower Two are mostly available for lease to other companies.
The bridge is 170 m (558 ft) above the ground and 58.4 m (192 ft) long, weighing 750 tons. 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,
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.

The Towers house 29 double-decker high-speed passenger lifts, six heavy-duty service lifts and four executive lifts. The floors are based on a zoning arrangement: two sets of 6 double-decker lifts serve levels 1 to 23 and levels 1 to 37, while another set of the five double-decker lifts take passengers directly to the Sky Lobby. Here, passengers take another lift to the upper zones.

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. 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, as the towers sway several feet[specify] in towards and away from each other during high winds.

Suria KLCC is a huge mall 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 theater, an underwater aquarium and a Science center. Suria KLCC is one of the largest shopping malls in Malaysia.

The towers are 'intelligent' structures, built with a system that seamlessly coordinates telecommunications, environment control, power supply, lighting, fire and smoke control, and building security.

They feature multi-faceted walls of 33,000 stainless steel and 55,000 glass panels. Vision Glass, specialized panels with light filtering and noise reduction properties, provide a comfortable inner environment. The glass is covered by stainless steel visors to further protect visitors from the tropical sun.