At a height of 451.90 metres and built to resemble two silver rockets, the Petronas Towers, in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia are the world’s tallest twin towers and in 1998 even held the title of the world’s tallest building before been unseated in 2004. The buildings are very symbolic, not only do they represent the meteoric rise of the city from a tin-mining shanty town to a bustling metropolis, but the iconic buildings that are shaped like a Rub El Hizb pay homage to the Islamic origins of the country.
Interestingly, to meet the stringent six year building deadline, Architect Cesar Pelli, decided to contract two separate construction companies each building one tower, but before starting the towers they had to lay a foundation and at a depth of 114 metres and a volume of 13,200 cubic metres of concrete it is one of the world’s deepest foundations. The Towers also have an interconnecting bridge that is not rigidly connected allowing the towers and the bridge to move independently during severe weather.
