The legendary Petronas Twin Towers in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia stands at an amazing 452 meters and boasts the world’s highest skybridge.
Up until 2003 the Petronas Towers were the tallest buildings in the world until they were overtaken by the Taipei 101 in Taiwan.
Standing at 452 meters high the twin towers are linked by the world’s highest skybridge which weighs 750 tonnes and is situated on the 41st and 42nd floors. The skybridge is open to members of the public but demand is high and only a limited number of tickets are made available for a ten minute viewing each day.
Including the antenna the Willis Tower, formally the Sears Tower, in America stands 75 meters higher than the Petronas Towers; however, in 1969 The Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat ruled that any antennas atop a building do not count towards their actual height.
The ornate spires on the Petronas Towers are included in the height since they are not antenna masts.
Although standing taller than both the Willis Tower and the World Trade Center, the Petronas Towers include fewer floors and considerably less square footage. Both the Willis Tower and the WTC were constructed with 110 occupied floors whereas the Petronas Towers have 88 occupied floors for office space each.
The Petronas Towers were completed in 1998 after a seven year build having be designed by Argentine architect César Pelli. Tower 1 was built by a Japanese consortium led by the Hazama Corporation while Tower 2 was built by Samsung C&T and Kukdong Engineering & Construction, both South Korean contractors. The sky bridge contract was completed by Kukdong Engineering & Construction.
Unusually the majority of the towers are constructed out of high-strength concrete due to the huge cost of importing steel. A benefit of high-strength concrete is that it is twice as effective as steel in sway reduction. However, it also makes the building twice as heavy as a comparable steel building.
The Petronas Towers 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 Regus Centre within the Petronas Towers offers a great address in the Golden Triangle area as well as nearby access to a host of shops, the central entertainment centre and the Philharmonic hall.
The Centre is within easy reach of the national motorway network and is well served by public transport and Kuala Lumpur International Airport is about 50 minute drive.
Tags: 80 Centres, Malaysia