PETRONAS Twin Towers

Soaring to a height of 451.9 metres, the 88-storey twin structure is Kuala Lumpur’s crown jewel. Majestic by day and dazzling at night, the PETRONAS Twin Towers is inspired by Tun Mahathir Mohamad’s vision for Malaysia to be a global player. Together with master architect Cesar Pelli, the international icon powerfully captures the nation’s ambitions and aspirations.

Visit us and experience the PETRONAS Twin Towers first-hand. Begin your tour with interactive displays that showcase the journey, from idea to completion. Scale 170 metres in an elevator with a futuristic edge. The doors will open at the Skybridge, a connecting structure between the towers and the world’s highest 2-storey bridge. Ascend even higher to level 86, where the story of Malaysia’s vision unfolds amid breathtaking views of Kuala Lumpur. Then wrap up your visit with exquisite souvenirs at the gift shop.

Rationale

A modern, avant-garde design to depict Malaysia (symbolised by its most renowned icon – the PETRONAS Twin Towers) as a forward-looking nation who is proud of her heritage and is optimistic about her future.

Symbol

The towers are depicted through its outline, which resembles the letter “M” for Malaysia. The jagged outline subtly resembles one of Malaysia’s famous traditional handicrafts – basket weaving – thus highlighting her strong cultural values.

The triangle that symbolises the skybridge acts like a fulcrum that perfectly balances Malaysia’s past and future, local values and global outlook, multi-cultural background and united 1Malaysia concept. With an upward-pointing arrow to depict growth and progress, the triangle also symbolises the Twin Towers’ ideal location at the heart of the Kuala Lumpur golden triangle. It is finished in the PETRONAS Green to further emphasise that the PETRONAS Twin Towers is built by our national oil company, PETRONAS.

The logo is encapsulated in a square, like a close electric circuit, to depict connectedness.

Logotype

Uses a simple, contemporary font to create a dignified corporate air.

Planning started in January 1992, led by distinguished architect Cesar Pelli along with Deejay Cerico, J.C. Guinto and Dominic Saibo. Excavators began digging down 30 metres below the surface of the site on March 1993. The work required moving over 500 truckloads of earth every night.

The next stage was the single largest and longest concrete pour in Malaysian history. 13,200 cubic metres of concrete was continuously poured through a period of 54 hours for each tower. This record-breaking slab with 104 piles forms the foundation for each tower.

From this floor rose a 21 metre high retaining wall, with a perimeter length of over one kilometre. This concrete shell and the basement area it encloses required two years and up to 40 workers on site, all day and night.

The construction of the superstructure commenced in April 1994, after rigorous tests and simulations of wind and structural loads on the design.

The PETRONAS Twin Towers was finally encased in steel and glass and completed in June 1996.