The sky bridge contract was completed by Kukdong Engineering & Construction. The halt in construction had cost US$700,000 per day and led to three separate concrete plants being set up on the site to ensure that if one produced a bad batch, the other two could continue to supply concrete. As a result of the concrete failure, each new batch was tested before being poured. All the completed floors were tested but it was found that only one had used a bad batch and it was demolished. Bhd and Mitsubishi Corp) while Tower 2, the east tower (right in the top-right photograph) was built by a South Korean consortium led by the Samsung C&T Corporation (Kukdong Engineering & Construction and Syarikat Jasatera Sdn Bhd).Įarly into construction a batch of concrete failed a routine strength test causing construction to come to a complete halt.
Tower 1, the west tower (left in the top-right photograph) was built by a Japanese consortium led by the Hazama Corporation ( JA Jones Construction Co., MMC Engineering Services Sdn Bhd, Ho Hup Construction Co. Īs a result of the Malaysian government specifying that the buildings be completed in six years, two construction consortia were hired to meet the deadline, one for each tower. The foundations were completed within 12 months by Bachy Soletanche and required massive amounts of concrete. The raft is 4.6 metres (15 ft) thick, weighs 32,500 tonnes (35,800 tons) and held the world record for the largest concrete pour until 2007. The concrete raft foundation, comprising 13,200 cubic metres (470,000 cu ft) of concrete was continuously poured through a period of 54 hours for each tower. 104 concrete piles, ranging from 60 to 114 metres (197 to 374 ft) deep, were bored into the ground. Because of the depth of the bedrock, the buildings were built on the world's deepest foundations.
The entire site was moved 61 metres (200 ft) to allow the buildings to sit entirely on the soft rock. One half of the site was decayed limestone while the other half was soft rock. Test boreholes found that the original construction site effectively sat on the edge of a cliff. The twin towers were built on the site of Kuala Lumpur's race track. The building was officially opened by the Prime Minister of Malaysia Tun Dr.
Interiors with furniture were completed on 1 January 1996, the spires of Tower 1 and Tower 2 were completed on 1 March 1996, 3 years after its construction was started, and the first batch of Petronas personnel moved into the building on 1 January 1997. The construction of the superstructure commenced on 1 April 1994. Seven years of construction followed at the former site of the original Selangor Turf Club, beginning on 1 March 1993 with excavation, which involved moving 500 truckloads of earth every night to dig down 30 metres (98 ft) below the surface. Planning on the Petronas Towers started on 1 January 1992 and included rigorous tests and simulations of wind and structural loads on the design. A distinctive postmodern style was chosen to create a 21st-century icon for Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. The towers were designed by Argentine-American architect César Pelli. The cross section of the Petronas Towers is based on a Rub el Hizb, albeit with circular sectors similar to the bottom part of the Qutub Minar.
They are a major landmark of Kuala Lumpur, along with nearby Kuala Lumpur Tower, and are visible in many places across the city. The buildings will remain the tallest buildings in Malaysia until the completion of the Merdeka PNB 118 (expected in 2022). The Petronas Towers remain the tallest twin towers in the world. According to the Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat ( CTBUH)'s official definition and ranking, they were the tallest buildings in the world from 1998 to 2004 when they were surpassed by Taipei 101. The Petronas Towers, or the Petronas Twin Towers ( Malay: Menara Petronas, or Menara Berkembar Petronas), are twin skyscrapers in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. Tower 2: Samsung Engineering & Construction and Kukdong Engineering & Construction Tallest in the world from 1998 to 2004 Ĭommercial offices and tourist attraction