IT is undoubtedly the jewel within the Kuala Lumpur skyline.
The Petronas Twin Towers have captivated international consideration ever because it was formally opened on Aug 31, 1999.
It reigned because the tallest constructing on this planet till 2004 when it was surpassed by Taipei 101.
(The crown has since gone to Burj Khalifa in Dubai.)
Despite dropping that title, it stays a surprise within the eyes of Malaysians and the world. No go to to the capital metropolis is full with out taking a snapshot there.
Until at present, the 88-storey icon stays the world’s tallest twin towers.
Yip Yoke Teng, the creator of KL’s Street Heritage, mentioned:
“Kuala Lumpur is a sprawling metropolis that’s hovering increased. It is a spot with a lot power, spreading out to an ever increasing space to change into the various districts we now see; every with a definite character. Amid this metropolis’s vibrant backdrop, the Twin Towers are by some means at all times considered the centre of this metropolis’s power.”
Yip, who spent nearly 20 years as a journalist with The Star protecting town beat, mentioned Twin Towers had been at all times seen as one of many nation’s icons of modernisation.
“It is a construction that’s shiny, steely and smooth, like a diamond. City people typically talked about it with pride because it represented what the nation might do,” she mentioned.
The web site planning of the Twin Towers started in January 1992, led by architect Cesar Pelli who had additionally designed different outstanding landmarks such because the International Finance Centre in Hong Kong and the Ronald Reagan National Airport exterior Washington.
“Excavators started digging 30m under the floor of the positioning on March 1993. The work required shifting over 500 truckloads of earth each night time,” in keeping with data on its web site.
“Following that was the one, largest, and longest concrete pour ever in Malaysian historical past; about 13,200 cubic metres of concrete was repeatedly poured per tower by means of a interval of 54 hours. This record-breaking slab with 104 piles of concrete layers kind the very basis for the dual towers we see at present.”
One fascinating characteristic is the skybridge, which hyperlinks each towers on the forty first and forty second flooring. Besides offering structural assist throughout excessive winds, the bridge can also be a security characteristic throughout hearth and emergencies so individuals can evacuate to the opposite tower.
It took six years and RM6bil to finish the development of Petronas Twin Towers.
One fascinating trivia from its web site: the lamination glass over the floor of the skyscraper requires two months simply to wash each single glass panel.
Since its opening, it has had its share of drama, actually. Among others, it was featured within the film Entrapment and The Amazing Race actuality collection.
And after all, its neighborhood had at all times hosted New Year’s Eve celebrations (previous to the pandemic).
The Twin Towers are the result of a imaginative and prescient by then Prime Minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad, who wished it to be an emblem of Malaysia’s progress and modernity.
However, Yip famous that it had additionally served as a comparability to the much less passable components of town, which might do higher by way of planning and improvement.
“For instance, the Serani Row in Jalan Raja Chulan was an deserted place which appeared dustier and darker standing within the shadows of the Twin Towers shadows; luckily, it was introduced again to life lately by means of rejuvenation efforts.”
“And metropolis people in Chow Kit and Kampung Baru would look as much as the Twin Towers with blended emotions, I’d say, as it’s a beacon of hope to maintain their city livelihood, however on the identical time made them yearn that the identical sort of high quality improvement might occur within the areas they lived.”
“Nevertheless, irrespective of how one feels in regards to the Twin Towers, they’re drawn to it, in all probability as a result of it’s unmistakably the identification of Kuala Lumpur and Malaysia.”
And regardless of the emergence of Tun Razak Exchange (TRX) and Merdeka 118, Yip believed the Twin Towers would at all times be particular.
“The Twin Towers have been the nation’s icon for the previous 20 years or so. It holds a particular place in everyone’s coronary heart even when now there are taller buildings developing,” she mentioned.
