Our eighth skyscraper in a series of blogs regarding the tallest buildings in the world is the Petronas Twin Towers in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. The Towers became the tallest buildings in the world in 1998 by replacing Chicago’s Willis (Sears) Tower until the Taipei 101 surpassed them in 2004. They still retain the honor of being the tallest twin towers in the world.
Architect on the project was Cesar Pelli & Associates who designed the postmodern building to create a distinct icon that promoted Kuala Lumpur as a commercial and cultural capital for the new millennium. Planning on the Towers started in 1992 and the buildings were officially opened in August, 1999. Engineer on the project was Thornton-Tomasetti Engineers and contractors were Mayjus and SKJ Joint Ventures.
Both of the Petronas Towers stand at 1,483 ft. and have a massive 10.7 million sq. ft. of space. One of the most remarkably and well-known features of the skyscrapers is a dramatic two-story bridge on the 41st and 42nd floors that links the two buildings together. It is the world’s highest double-decked bridge and is intended to symbolize a gateway to the future and provide stunning views of Kuala Lumpur.
According to the Petronas website, the building of the Towers required the single largest and longest concrete pour in Malaysian history. It took 13,200 cubic meters of concrete that was continuously poured over 54 hours for each of the towers. By the end of the pours, each Tower had a record-breaking slab with 104 piles that formed the foundation.
Conco is a leading supplier of concrete services for the Western United States and is once again involved in doing concrete work for a major landmark project. The new Wilshire Grand Center will reshape the Los Angeles skyline as the tallest building west of the Mississippi. As a part of the project, Conco successfully poured the largest continuous mat foundation ever done in the U.S. on February 15, 2014.
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