The Petronas Twin Towers

Essay by PaperNerd ContributorUniversity, Bachelor's April 2001

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There are many astonishing towers and buildings around the world, but the Petronas Twin Towers are unconventional. The Petronas Twin Towers are the world's tallest buildings since 1996, featuring unique designs.

The Petronas Twin Towers are located in the heart of Kuala Lumpur, the capital city of Malaysia. The Malaysian Government decided to built the Petronas Twin Towers in the late 1980's, to represent Kuala Lumpur as a modern city with a respectable international standing. It took approximately 8 years to complete the superstructures of the towers, and it will take about another 10 to 15 years for final completion. The towers will have usable areas for offices and conference halls, as well as an 850-seat international-class concert hall, an art gallery, a petroleum science centre, and a reference library.

The Petronas Twin Towers stands at 451.9 metres tall, and have officially been recognized by the Council on Tall Buildings, and the Urban Habitat as the tallest buildings in the world.

The Towers are technically 88 stories high, although the higher than average ceilings put the estimate at 95 stories. From the tip of longest pile to the tip of pinnacle mast, the towers are 592.4 metres tall. The towers are connected at the 42nd and 43rd levels, which is 170 metres from street level, by a 58.4 metre skybridge.

Designed by architect Cesar Pelli and Associates, of New Haven, Connecticut, the Twin Towers symbolizes strength and grace, using geometric principles represented in Islamic architecture. The Petronas Twin Towers' design is very unique, with its star shaped edges combined with round surfaces (as seen on the towers' illustration). One of the reasons the architects designed it this way, was to create as many profitable cornered offices. Also, they believed that this was the most wind resistance design.

After a detailed...