The Petronas Towers, located in Kuala Lumpur, were designed to herald the emergence of Malaysia into the global economy and act as an easily identifiable symbol for the fast-growing country.

The development’s scope, scale, and design reflect the desire to create a representative manifestation of local traditions and ingenuity. In particular, the design is based on Islamic geometry, a reflection of Malaysia’s cultural heritage. The buildings are perhaps most noteworthy for the skybridge that connects them on the 41st and 42nd floors. Although there is no structural benefit to the connection, it offers more than just an architectural flourish. By linking the two buildings together, the facilities of each tower around that level can be shared, including a conference room, prayer room, and executive dining room. Additionally, the skybridge is an integral part of the towers’ fire evacuation strategy.

Due to budgetary constraints, the development timeline of Petronas Towers was constrained to six years, an ambitious feat considering that the original expected construction time for the project was eight years. To speed things along, two construction consortiums were hired, each being responsible for building one of the towers. Naturally, incentives were established that rewarded the first team to the top with the rights to build the skybridge, resulting in a race between the Japanese and South Korean consortiums. Ultimately, Tower 2 was the first to reach its pinnacle, with the South Korean crew claiming victory.