Monday, May 21, 2007

Petronas Twin Tower (Located in KLCC)

Overview

The Petronas Twin Towers (also known as the Petronas Towers), in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, were once the world's tallest buildings when measured from the level of the main entrance to the structural or architectural top. The Petronas Twin Towers are the tallest twin towers in the world, and they lay claim to being the world's tallest high rise of the 20th century.

History
These towers, which were designed by César Pelli, an Argentinian architect, were completed in 1998 and became the tallest buildings in the world on the date of completion. 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. They were built on the site of Kuala Lumpur's race track. Because of the depth of the bedrock, the buildings were built on the world's deepest foundations. The 120-meter foundations were built by Bachy Soletanche, and required massive amounts of concrete.

In an unusual move, a different construction company was hired for each of the towers, and they were made to compete against each other. Eventually the builders of Tower 2, Samsung Constructions (the Construction Division of Samsung Corporation), Kukdong Engineering & Construction (both of South Korea), won the race, despite starting a month behind Tower 1, built by Hazama Corporation.

Due to a lack of steel and 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 than a comparable steel building. Supported by 23-by-23-metre concrete cores and an outer ring of widely-spaced super columns, the towers use a sophisticated structural system that accommodates its slender profile and provides from 1300 to 2000 square metres of column-free office space per floor.

Skybridge
The towers feature a skybridge between the two towers on 41st and 42nd floors. The bridge is 170 m high and 58 m long. The same floor is also known as the podium, since visitors desiring to go to higher levels have to change elevators here. The skybridge is open to all visitors, but passes (limited to around 1400 people per day, which usually run out before noon) must be obtained on a first-come, first-served basis. Passes are free. The skybridge is closed on Mondays. 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.

KLCC Park
Outside the building is a park with jogging and walking paths, a fountain with incorporated light show, wading pools, and a children's playground. The 20-hectare (50-acre urban sanctuary) tropical landscape include a playful fountain pool, 2-acre children's playground, wading pool, patterned footpaths, sculptures, murals, shelters, benches and jogging track set among carefully chosen trees and shrubs native to Malaysia. The children's playground consists of colorful child-safe play equipment which is thoughtfully placed under large shady trees in the middle of the park.

Approximately 1,900 indigenous trees and palms representing 74 species are planted to encourage bio-diversity within the park areas. Out of this number, some 40 trees were preserved and transplanted from the former Selangor Turf Club. A series of murals and sculptures have been installed on the pavement surrounded by trees and palms in the lake area. Another striking features of the park is the Lake Symphony which comprises two water fountains.

Interesting facts:
  • Completion date : 1998
  • Cost : 1.6 million
  • Height : 452 meters (1483 feet)
  • The tower tooks 36910 tons of steel to build both the tower.
  • Both tower have 32000 windows – it takes window washer an entire month to wash each tower just once!

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