Petronas Twin Towers
The Petronas Twin Towers, the third and forth tallest buildings in the world were completed in 1998 were designed by Cesar Pelli. The Towers stand tall and proud in the center of the capital city of Malaysia, Kuala Lumpur and were based off of the five pillars of Islam. These towers are part of the Kuala Lumpur City Centre (KLCC) and were the first of seven main sections built. The other sections include a convention center, hotels, and a shopping center.
Cesar Pelli, of Argentine birth became an American architect. “From 1954 to 1964 he worked for Eero Saarinen and was project designer for Saarinen's TWA Terminal (1956-62) at Idlewild (now John F. Kennedy) Airport, New York, and for the Samuel B. Morse and Ezra Stiles colleges (1958-62) at Yale University, New Haven, CT.”
These Towers have eighty-eight stories and stand at 457.9 meters tall. A sky-bridge connects the two towers. It is the tallest sky-bridge in the world and is located at the forty-first and the forty-second floors. The bridge spans 58.4 meters and is 170 meters off the ground. Stainless steel cladding and glass were used in the construction of the two towers. “ The tower’s floor plan design is based on simple Islamic geometric forms of two interlocking squares creating a shape of eight-pointed stars. Upon the eight-pointed stars, are eight superimposed semi-circles softening the inner angles.” (2) By using concrete for such a tall structure, the cores were cast in place. Perimeter columns and ring beams (used for wind control) were used for vertical load carrying capacity. There are sixteen main tower columns, cantilevered points that alternate, and a stainless steel pinnacle top.
The interior holds just as much grandeur as the exterior. There is an area that is home to the Malaysian Philharmonic Orchestra that holds over 800 seats. A modern museum themed ‘oil and gas’ resides there as well. An art gallery and a fitness center are art of the seven sections in the Kuala Lumpur City Centre. There is a reference library that has things related to energy, and petroleum. In front of the towers there is a park that was designed by Roberto Burle Marx a Brazilian landscape architect.
http://www.travour.com/travel-to-malaysia/tourist-attractions-in-malaysia/petronas-twin-towers-kuala-lumpur.html
http://www.petronastwintowers.com.my/internet/pett/pettweb.nsf/frm_home_hi?OpenFrameset
http://www.answers.com/topic/cesar-pelli
http://www3.interscience.wiley.com
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