Petronas Towers

The Petronas Twin Towers, in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, are the second tallest buildings in the world when measuring from the sidewalk level of the main entrance to the structural or architectural top. They were the world's tallest buildings from their completion until they were unseated by Taipei 101 on October 17, 2003. However, the Petronas Twin Towers still remain the tallest twin towers in the world, and for the record, were the world's tallest buildings in the 20th century.

The towers themselves are entirely devoted to office space and were designed by architect Cesar Pelli in 1998. The 88-story, largely stainless steel and glass structure was designed to resemble motifs found in Islamic art, a reflection of Malaysia's Muslim majority. Petronas, Malaysia's national oil company, wanted to build the world's tallest building. Although other buildings such as the Sears Tower have higher occupied floors, the Petronas towers have an architectural top at 1242 feet, and the tall spires took the record at 1483 feet.

Below the twin towers is a popular shopping complex, called Suria KLCC. There is also a performance hall in the complex, Dewan Philharmonik, in which a classical orchestra plays. Outside the shopping mall there is a well planned park with fountains, pools, jogging tracks and many trees. The skybridge is open to tourists who wish to have a glimpse of Kuala Lumpur from on high.

See also: Skyscraper.

Referenced By