Koik, Page 1
Name: Pei Juo Koik
Course: English150
Assignment #6
Instructor: Samantha Futhey
Due Date: 05.04.15
PETRONAS TWIN TOWERS
Every country has its own significant piece of art. An iconic structure that is
automatically associated with the country's identity. For example, France has the
Eiffel Tower, United States has the Statue of Liberty and London has the Tower
Bridge. The same thing applies to my country, Malaysia. The first thing one thinks of
when Malaysia is mentioned, is the Petronas Twin Towers. The towers are located in
Kuala Lumpur, which is the capital of Malaysia. According to the former Prime
Minister of Malaysia, Dr. Tun Mahathir Mohammad, as an internationally recognised
landmark, the Petronas Twin Towers symbolize the courage, ingenuity, initiative, and
determination, energy, confidence, optimism, advancement and zest of a nation
(Petronas Twin Towers).
The Petronas Twin Towers are not only one of the tallest buildings in the
Koik, Page 2
world, they are also ranked as one of the top ten inspired buildings in the world. The
Petronas Twin Towers are truly magnificent structures that are not just good to look at
but also serve as work and recreational spaces for Malaysians. The Towers are made
up of two 88-storey skyscrapers of office buildings. At the bottom of the Towers, in
an attached building, there is a convention centre, shopping mall, aquarium, Petronas
science discovery centre, Petronas Park and offices inside as well. The height of each
tower is 452 metres above the street level and the skybridge is 58.40 metres long. The
skybridge is located at the 41st level and it is 170 metres from the street level.
Because of the pinnacles that sit atop each tower, their total height is 452 meters,
surpassing Chicago's Sears Tower by about 10 meters, thus giving the Petronas
Towers the title of the tallest buildings in the world as of 2001 (Petronas Twin
Towers). The honour of having one of the world’s tallest bulidings in one’s own
country is a source of great pride to all Malaysians.
The Petronas Twin Towers represents Malaysia on the world stage by
symbolising the culture and advancement of Malaysia. This can be seen from the
fusion of local art and modern innovation. The interior themes are an echo of local
handicrafts and weaving patterns, while stainless steel and glass combine beautifully
as Islamic imagery (Petronas Twin Towers). Malaysia is an Islamic country where
Islam plays an important part in many building designs. The design of each Tower’s
plate floor is unique by using idea from the simple Islamic geometry forms. The
Islamic geometry forms created the eight- pointed star due to the interlocking squares.
This building that represents Malaysia conveyed important principles of Islam, which
is “unity within unity, harmony, stability and rationality” (Petronas Twin Towers).
Built with a system that seamlessly coordinates telecommunications, environment
control, power supply, lighting, fire and smoke control, and building security, the
Koik, Page 3
towers are examples of 'intelligent' structures. On the other hand, exterior design of
this iconic building is just as awesome as its interior. In order to maintain the vertical
axis, setting it five times back in its ascent narrowed the design. The walls of the
uppermost floors of the building were arched
inward to taper and meet the
pinnacle(Petronas Twin Towers). The Towers feature multi-faceted walls of 33,000
stainless steel and 55,000 glass panels(Petronas Twin Towers). The interiors of the
towers are also lined with Vision Glass. These are specialized panels with light
filtering and noise reduction properties, that are used to provide a comfortable inner
environment. The Vision Glass panels are also covered by stainless steel visors to
further protect visitors from the tropical sun (Petronas Twin Towers). Lastly, the
interior of Petronas Twin Towers was designed based on the traditional customs of
the Malay. The entrance halls adopt the traditional handicrafts and ‘songket’ or
weaving, to deliver the importance of this piece of art to Malaysia Citizen.
Additionally, the wall panels and screens also draw inspiration from the hardwood
carvings from the East Coast of Peninsular Malaysia. The result is floor designs that
are based on elaborate patterns of pandan weaving and bertam palm wall
matting(Petronas Twin Towers). While the height and modern design of the Petronas
Twin Towers may be what drew the attention of the world, the small details of both
the interior and exterior of the design that pay tribute to Islam and the Malay culture
are what truly set the Towers apart from other famous buildings. Those responsible
for the design and concept of the building were able to successfully combine modern
and traditional elements to create a structure that accurately represents the Malaysian
identity. As Malaysians we strive to improve ourselves and to stay on top of current
trends and developments. Yet at the same time, we hold strong to our own customs
and cultural practices that make us who we are. As such the Petronas Twin Towers
Koik, Page 4
provide the nation with inspiration to strive towards greater achievement while still
upholding our traditional values and be recognized throughout the world.
The Twin Towers is remarkable on its own. However its main tenant,
Petronas, whose name is tied to the building, should not be disregarded. PETRONAS,
known as Petroliam Nasional Bhd is a national corporation of Malaysia, established
on August 17, 1974. The company itself is part of the Malaysian identity since we are
an oil producing nation. It is listed as a Fortune 500 corporation. The wide area of
activities that PETRONAS is engaged in include a broad spectrum of petroleum
activities, including upstream exploration and production of oil and gas to
downstream oil refining. PETRONAS has reached success in its field and given more
exposure to Malaysia in the global arena. The national oil and gas company’s name
gives more meaning to the Twin Towers as a symbol of Malaysia’s accomplishments
and determination to make her mark in the world.
The Petronas Twin Towers were not built in a day. It took extensive planning
and hours of labour to complete the building. The project planning for the Twin
Towers started in January, 1991. It was the brainchild of the now retired Prime
Minister, Dr. Tun Mahathir Mohammad, who came out with his conceptual idea about
transforming the unproductive once-a-month utilities into a visionary “ City within
the City” concept. The project planning was led by the distinguished architect, Caser
Pelli, along with Deejay Cerico, J.C. Guinto and Dominic Saibo. In March 1993, they
began the works of foundation by digging down 30 metres below the surface of the
site. The work was heavy and over 500 truckloads of earth had to be moved every
night. This was then followed by the single largest and longest concrete pour in
Malaysian history. Each tower needed 13,200 cubic metres of concrete, which was
continuously poured through a period of 54 hours (Petronas Twin Towers). The
Koik, Page 5
foundation for each tower was formed by a record-breaking slab with 104
piles.(Petronas Twin Towers). A 21 metre high retaining wall, with a perimeter length
of over one kilometer, rose from this floor. This concrete shell and the basement area
it encloses required two years and up to 40 workers on site. In April 1994, the
construction of the superstructure commenced. This came after rigorous tests and
simulations of wind, as well as structural loads on the design. (Petronas Twin
Towers). In January 1996, the buildings were fitting out of the interiors complete with
furniture; Tower 1 and Tower 2 were jacking of the spires in March 1996. The
PETRONAS Twin Towers was finally encased in steel and glass and completed in
June 1996. Thus, it came to the last stage, which was moving in the first batch of
Petronas’ personnel in Jan 1997. YAB Dato Seri Dr Mahathir Mohama held the
official opening of Petronas Twin Towers on 31 Aug 1999 (Petronas Twin Tower).
The amount of labour and effort put into the construction of the Twin Towers is an
incredible accomplishment in itself. The vision of the former Prime Minister to create
and architectural masterpiece and the eventual success of the project represent the
determination of Malaysia as a nation.
In conlcusion, Petronas Twin Towers plays an important role in Malaysia not
just as a tourist attraction and national icon but also as a piece of the country’s
identity. It is an iconic building that fully represents Malaysia since Malaysia is one of
the petroleum producing countries and shows the advancement of Malaysia
economically. The intricate details of the architecture display the cultural identity of
the nation, an identity that Malaysians are proud of. The time taken for the building to
be constructed may have been long but the final result was worth the wait. The
Petronas Twin Towers will continue to be a symbol of Malaysia for generations to
come.