The Petronas’- Malaysia’s Iconic Twin Tower

The Petronas Towers in Malaysia are the tallest twin towers in history. The plan of the towers is structured from two squares overlapping each other and form an octagonal star. As the buildings rise, they step back six times, and at each setback, the walls tip outward slightly. This adds complexity which is reminiscent of traditional Malaysian architecture.

The towers are covered in panels of glass and stainless steel that softly reflect sunlight. What’s equally fascinating is a figural void that acts as a connector between the two buildings. This two-story bridge is present on the 42nd and 43rd floor of the buildings respectively. The bridge is structured by angled brackets that form the space and act as the vertical thrust of the towers.

How The Sky Bridge Adds Value To The Towers

As mentioned above, the figural void is called as the Sky Bridge. One can’t help but appreciate at the strides engineering has made in this design. This sky lobby connects the buildings and contains spaces shared by both, including , a conference center, elevator lobbies and a prayer room. The sky bridge also serves as a safety feature, allowing tenants in one tower to be evacuated by crossing the skybridge to the adjacent tower in the event of an emergency. The bridge is not attached to the main building structurally. Instead, it’s engineered to slide in and out of the towers to keep it from fracturing as the towers may alignment during heavy winds.

Interesting Facts About The Petronas

The towers stand a fascinating phenomenon when it comes to it’s architecture. The towers sway upto a radius of 2 meters on either side. This makes the towers twice as heavy on their foundation as a comparable steel building, thus the need for support by 23-by-23 metre concrete cores, the girth of some of the buildings around. The towers also include a 5,143-car underground garage, a seven-story retail facility and an acoustically isolated 864-seat concert hall that spans over the entryway to the towers and retail areas.