Located in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, Petronas Towers is a pride for the country with its design and gigantic height. The towers were built between 1993 and 1999 to be the tallest skyscrapers in the world. Today, Petronas Towers, which is still one of the 10 tallest towers in the world, is an imaginary structure not only for Kuala Lumpur, but for the whole of Malaysia.
However, the story of these towers is not very similar to the story of the skyscrapers we know because these structures were built from reinforced concrete, not steel like today’s modern skyscrapers. Thanks to this feature, they are the tallest reinforced concrete structures in the world. Another feature that makes their stories interesting is the bridge, which is about 120 meters high and connects the towers. This bridge is designed in order for the structures to be fire escape to each other. The bridge moves separately from both towers in order to prevent the bridge from damaging the towers both in the event of an earthquake and as a result of the movement of such high structures due to the wind. One of the biggest disadvantages of such structures is that they create transportation problems for people due to their high height. This problem has been solved with the development of the double-deck elevator system in the twin towers. It is a system based on the fact that people who will go to odd-numbered floors get on from odd-numbered floors and those who will go to even-numbered floors from even-numbered floors.
Apart from its structural design, the building is also perfectly designed in terms of architecture and is equipped with features that symbolize the religion of Islam. Its plan consists of two intertwined squares representing order and harmony in Islamic symbolism. The building reflects not only Islamic but also the lines of Buddhist temples. In this way, it creates a holistic composition by embracing all the cultures of Malaysia.
Thanks to the glass and metal architecture used in the facade design, it reflects the sun during the day and the light at night. Because of this feature, the Malaysian people called the Petronas Towers “the spirit of Malaysia that lives both day and night”. The connecting bridge between the buildings is described as a bridge between the physical and spiritual world among the local people. The architect of the building, Cesar Pelli, described and designed this bridge as the door of Malaysia to the world.
The towers are named after the country’s oil company, Petronas. Inside, it provides space for shopping malls, a natural sciences museum, a symphony orchestra, an art gallery, and many offices. Although the Petronas Towers are likened to the World Trade Center, which was destroyed on September 11, 2001 in America, they evoke different feelings than the World Trade Center in terms of their design and the cultures they reflect. The twin towers succeeded in being the tallest building of the period until the construction of Taipei 101 and made Malaysia known by the whole world. It is still important today. The reflection and presentation of the architecture was used expertly and these twin towers, known to the whole world, emerged.
Author: Görkem Çakır
Translator: Ensar Aksu
