Petronas Towers Architecture: Guide to César Pelli’s Petronas Towers

The Petronas Towers, also known as the Petronas Twin Towers, are twin skyscrapers located in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. With 88 floors and a total height of 1,483 feet, the Petronas Towers became the world’s tallest building in 1998, eclipsing the Sears Tower (now known as Willis Tower) in Chicago. In 2004, the Petronas Towers were surpassed by Taipei 101. The Petronas Towers remain the world’s tallest twin towers.

Malaysia’s fourth prime minister, Mahathir Mohamad, commissioned the towers in 1993 to act as headquarters for Petronas, Malaysia’s national petroleum company. Architect César Pelli designed the building and collaborated with the engineering firm Thornton Tomasetti. Construction began on March 1, 1993, and was completed in 1998. The building was officially opened in August of 1999.

Both of the Petronas Towers feature identical designs with a postmodern Islamic architecture style and a glass-and-stainless-steel exterior. The shape of the towers is based on a geometric, polygonal plan. For their foundational design, the towers have concrete footings that extend roughly 400 feet below the surface. These footings are made from high-strength reinforced concrete rather than a traditional steel framework.

César Pelli (1926–2019) was born in Argentina in 1926. He remained in Argentina for his undergraduate education and went on to earn his master’s degree from the University of Illinois. He designed many influential buildings throughout his career, including the Pacific Design Center in Los Angeles, the TWA terminal at John F. Kennedy International Airport, and the ARIA Resort & Casino in Las Vegas. The American Institute of Architects named Pelli one of the most influential living architects in 1991. Later that decade, he designed his most ambitious project yet with the Petronas Towers.

Consider some of the characteristics that define the Petronas Towers’ architectural style.

1. 1. Sky bridge: Located on the forty-first and forty-second floors, a double-decker sky bridge connects both towers.
2. 2. Observation deck: On the eighty-sixth floor of tower two, visitors can experience views of Kuala Lumpur from the observation deck.
3. 3. Spires: At the top of both towers, distinct spires extend above the eighty-eighth floors. These spires allowed the Petronas Towers to surpass the Sears Tower by reaching 1,483 feet high.
4. 4. Concert hall: Pelli designed the Petronas Philharmonic Hall based on the rectangular shape of European music halls to enhance the sound quality of live classical music performances.

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