The Stories | The Towers | PETRONAS Twin Towers
PETRONAS TWIN TOWERS

THE STORIES

About Petronas Twin Towers

Soaring to a height of 451.9 metres, the 88-storey twin structure is Kuala Lumpur's crown jewel. Majestic by day and dazzling at night, the PETRONAS Twin Towers is inspired by Tun Mahathir Mohamad's vision for Malaysia to be a global player. Together with master architect Cesar Pelli, the international icon powerfully captures the nation's ambitions and aspirations.

Visit us and experience the PETRONAS Twin Towers first-hand. Begin your tour with interactive displays that showcase the journey, from idea to completion. Scale 170 metres in an elevator with a futuristic edge. The doors will open at the Skybridge, a connecting structure between the towers and the world's highest 2-storey bridge. Ascend even higher to level 86, where the story of Malaysia's vision unfolds amid breathtaking views of Kuala Lumpur. Then wrap up your visit with exquisite souvenirs at the gift shop.

Experience in 360° Virtual Reality Video

With 360° Virtual Reality Video, you can now catch the whole city in sight. The video shows the essence of the Twin Towers in multi-angles, providing an astonishing extension to the ordinary point of view.

History

The site planning for PETRONAS Twin Towers began in January 1992, led by distinguished architect Cesar Pelli along with Deejay Cerico, J.C. Guinto and Dominic Saibo. Excavators began digging down 30 metres below the surface of the site on March 1993. The work required moving over 500 truckloads of earth every night.

Following that was the single, largest, and longest concrete pour ever in Malaysian history; approx. 13,200 cubic metres of concrete was continuously poured per tower through a period of 54 hours. This record-breaking slab with 104 piles of concrete layers form the very foundation for the twin towers we see today.

From this floor rose a 21 metre high retaining wall, with a perimeter length of over one kilometre. This concrete shell and the basement area it encloses required two years and up to 40 workers on site all day and night.

The construction of the superstructure commenced in April 1994 after passing multiple rigorous tests and simulations of wind and structural loads on the design. Finally in June 1996, PETRONAS Twin Towers was completed with its encasing in steel and glass.

“As an internationally recognised landmark, the PETRONAS Twin Towers symbolise the courage, ingenuity, initiative, and determination, energy, confidence, optimism, advancement and zest of a nation.”
Tun Dr. Mahathir Mohamad
4th & 7th Prime Minister of Malaysia

Milestone

The entire project took 7 years from start to finish. Though it has been decades, we still remember every milestone and achievement like it just happened yesterday.

1992

January

Start of project planning

1993

March

Start of foundation works

1994

April

Construction of the superstructure

1996

January

Fitting out of the interiors complete with furniture

March

Jacking of the spires of Tower 1 and Tower 2

1997

January

Moving in of the first batch of PETRONAS' personnel

1999

August

Official opening by YAB Dato Seri Dr Mahathir Mohamad

More About Petronas Twin Towers

Design & Structure
Getting Here
Admission & Ticketing