Curiosities Of The Petronas Towers In Kuala Lumpur

They are one of the main tourist attractions in Kuala Lumpur. For years they were the tallest towers in the world, but there are many more curiosities of the Petronas Towers, and we want to tell you about them. Can you come with us?

The towers are the design of the Argentine architect César Pelli and were completed in 1998. With a concrete, steel, aluminum and glass structure, they have 88 floors and are linked by an elevated walkway. What more curiosities about the Petronas Towers can we tell you? Pay attention.

Curiosities of the Petronas Towers: details of its construction

Construction of the Petronas Towers began in 1992 and its works were completed 5 years later. At that time, they became the two tallest skyscrapers in the world thanks to their more than 450 meters in height. Today they are not even in the top 10.

Each of the towers has 88 floors. For its construction, more than 13,000 m³ of concrete were needed just for its base and 65,000 m³ of stainless steel. All the material used in the construction of the towers amounted to more than 540,000 tons in weight.

For its design,  the architect was inspired by the Islamic eight-pointed star, due to the strong Muslim influence in the country and because he wanted the buildings to become an emblem of Malaysia.

One of the towers leaned

The foundations of the towers are more than 120 meters deep. Despite this, one of the towers deviated almost 2.5 centimeters when the work was practically finished. After much work and complicated corrective measures, the problem was corrected and currently that deviation is only 0.2 centimeters.

A complicated cleaning

The Petronas Towers have 32,000 windows and 77,000 m² of glass panels. It takes 5 months to clean all the windows. This work is done 2 times a year, so there are only two months each year when no one is cleaning windows.

The bridge that unites them

The bridge that joins both towers is known as the “Sky Bridge” and is located between the 41st and 42nd floors. It has a complex bearing system in order to compensate for earth movements and provide buildings with greater stability. The weight of the bridge is 400 tons.

It is the highest bridge in the world located between two buildings. It has a capacity of a thousand visitors each day, although it is not the highest point that tourists can access, since there is an incredible viewpoint on the 86th floor.

Owners and occupants of the towers

The Petronas Towers were built to become the headquarters of the National Petroleum Corporation of Malaysia, although they are owned by the Malaysian government. The costs of the construction of the towers amounted to a total of 950 million euros.

Apart from the Petronas offices, the towers also house Microsoft’s headquarters, the Kuala Lumpur Convention Center and the Suria Kentuki Commercial Center. The Petronas Towers also feature numerous shops and restaurants. Therefore, they only need a hotel to become a real metal city with its own autonomy.

Some record towers

After the construction of the Petronas Towers, numerous skyscrapers were built around the world. It was not until 2004 when the height of these was exceeded, by 56 meters. The record was stolen by the Taipei 101 building, located in Taiwan.

The height record is currently broken every year or, at most, every two. The Petronas Towers are the ones that have held the record for being the tallest building the longest, 7 years.

They are not the tallest building in the world but they are still the tallest twin towers on the planet. They surpass their followers by more than 100 meters, the JW Marriot Marquis Dubai, in the United Arab Emirates.

Another curiosity about the Petronas Towers that has to do with world records is that they were the setting of luxury in the world record for base jumping , held in 1999 by Felix Baumgartner, known for his free fall jump from the stratosphere.

These are some of the curiosities of the Petronas Towers in Kuala Lumpur, some towers through which 10,000 people pass every day. And, in order to serve them, they have no less than 76 elevators. Incredible right?

Cover photo: Peter Gronemann / Flickr.com