19
Global
Height rank

Petronas Twin Tower 1

Kuala Lumpur
Height
1
To Tip:
Height is measured from the level of the lowest, significant, open-air, pedestrian entrance to the highest point of the building, irrespective of material or function of the highest element (i.e., including antennae, flagpoles, signage and other functional-technical equipment).
451.9 m / 1,483 ft
2
Architectural:
Height is measured from the level of the lowest, significant, open-air, pedestrian entrance to the architectural top of the building, including spires, but not including antennae, signage, flag poles or other functional-technical equipment. This measurement is the most widely utilized and is employed to define the Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat (CTBUH) rankings of the "World's Tallest Buildings."
451.9 m / 1,483 ft
3
Occupied:
Height is measured from the level of the lowest, significant, open-air, pedestrian entrance to the highest occupied floor within the building.
375 m / 1,230 ft
1 2 3 Petronas Twin Tower 1
  Floors
Above Ground
The number of floors above ground should include the ground floor level and be the number of main floors above ground, including any significant mezzanine floors and major mechanical plant floors. Mechanical mezzanines should not be included if they have a significantly smaller floor area than the major floors below. Similarly, mechanical penthouses or plant rooms protruding above the general roof area should not be counted. Note: CTBUH floor counts may differ from published accounts, as it is common in some regions of the world for certain floor levels not to be included (e.g., the level 4, 14, 24, etc. in Hong Kong).
88
Below Ground
The number of floors below ground should include all major floors located below the ground floor level.
5
Height 451.9 m / 1,483 ft
Floors 88
Official Name
The current legal building name.

Petronas Twin Tower 1

Other Names
Other names the building has commonly been known as, including former names, common informal names, local names, etc.

Tower 1, Petronas Twin Tower Kuala Lumpur City Centre, Petronas Tower 1

Name of Complex
A complex is a group of buildings which are designed and built as pieces of a greater development.

Petronas Towers

Type
CTBUH collects data on two major types of tall structures: 'Buildings' and 'Telecommunications / Observation Towers.' A 'Building' is a structure where at least 50% of the height is occupied by usable floor area. A 'Telecommunications / Observation Tower' is a structure where less than 50% of the structure's height is occupied by usable floor area. Only 'Buildings' are eligible for the CTBUH 'Tallest Buildings' lists.

Building

Status
Completed
Architecturally Topped Out
Structurally Topped Out
Under Construction
Proposed
On Hold
Never Completed
Vision
Competition Entry
Canceled
Proposed Renovation
Under Renovation
Renovated
Under Demolition
Demolished

Completed

Completion

1998

Country
The CTBUH follows the United Nations's definition of Country, and thus uses the lists and codes established by that organization.

Malaysia

City
The CTBUH follows the United Nations's definition of City, and thus uses the lists and codes established by that organization.

Kuala Lumpur

Address

Jalan Ampang

Function
A single-function tall building is defined as one where 85% or more of its usable floor area is dedicated to a single usage. Thus a building with 90% office floor area would be said to be an "office" building, irrespective of other minor functions it may also contain.

A mixed-use tall building contains two or more functions (or uses), where each of the functions occupy a significant proportion of the tower's total space. Support areas such as car parks and mechanical plant space do not constitute mixed-use functions. Functions are denoted on CTBUH "Tallest Building" lists in descending order, e.g., "hotel/office" indicates hotel function above office function.

Office

Structural Material
All-Steel
Both the main vertical/lateral structural elements and the floor spanning systems are constructed from steel. Note that a building of steel construction with a floor system of concrete planks or concrete slab on top of steel beams is still considered an “all-steel” structure as the concrete elements are not acting as the primary structure.

All-Concrete
Both the main vertical/lateral structural elements and the floor spanning systems are constructed from concrete which has been cast in place and utilizes steel reinforcement bars and/or steel reinforced concrete which has been precast as individual components and assembled together on-site.

All-Timber
Both the main vertical/lateral structural elements and the floor spanning systems are constructed from timber. An all-timber structure may include the use of localized non-timber connections between timber elements. Note that a building of timber construction with a floor system of concrete planks or concrete slab on top of timber beams is still considered an “all-timber” structure as the concrete elements are not acting as the primary structure.

Mixed-Structure
Utilizes distinct systems (e.g. all-steel, all-concrete, all-timber), one on top of the other. For example, a Steel Over Concrete indicates an all-steel structural system located on top of an all-concrete structural system, with the opposite true of Concrete Over Steel.

Composite
A combination of materials (e.g. steel, concrete, timber) are used together in the main structural elements. Examples include buildings which utilize: steel columns with a floor system of reinforced concrete beams; a steel frame system with a concrete core; concrete-encased steel columns; concrete-filled steel tubes; etc. Where known, the CTBUH database breaks out the materials used within a composite building’s primary structural elements.

Concrete-Steel Composite

Official Website

Petronas Twin Towers

Height
Architectural
Height is measured from the level of the lowest, significant, open-air, pedestrian entrance to the architectural top of the building, including spires, but not including antennae, signage, flag poles or other functional-technical equipment. This measurement is the most widely utilized and is employed to define the Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat (CTBUH) rankings of the "World's Tallest Buildings."

451.9 m / 1,483 ft

To Tip
Height is measured from the level of the lowest, significant, open-air, pedestrian entrance to the highest point of the building, irrespective of material or function of the highest element (i.e., including antennae, flagpoles, signage and other functional-technical equipment).
451.9 m / 1,483 ft
Occupied
Height is measured from the level of the lowest, significant, open-air, pedestrian entrance to the highest occupied floor within the building.
375 m / 1,230 ft
Floors Above Ground
The number of floors above ground should include the ground floor level and be the number of main floors above ground, including any significant mezzanine floors and major mechanical plant floors. Mechanical mezzanines should not be included if they have a significantly smaller floor area than the major floors below. Similarly, mechanical penthouses or plant rooms protruding above the general roof area should not be counted. Note: CTBUH floor counts may differ from published accounts, as it is common in some regions of the world for certain floor levels not to be included (e.g., the level 4, 14, 24, etc. in Hong Kong).

88

Floors Below Ground
The number of floors below ground should include all major floors located below the ground floor level.

5

# of Elevators
Number of Elevators refers to the total number of elevator cars (not shafts) contained within a particular building (including public, private and freight elevators).

39

Top Elevator Speed
Top Elevator Speed refers to the top speed capable of being achieved by an elevator within a particular building, measured in meters per second.

6 m/s

Tower GFA
Tower GFA refers to the total gross floor area within the tower footprint, not including adjoining podiums, connected buildings or other towers within the development.

197,500 m² / 2,125,872 ft²

Rankings

#
19
Tallest in the World
#
14
Tallest in Asia
#
2
Tallest in Malaysia
#
2
Tallest in Kuala Lumpur

Construction Schedule

1992

Construction Start

1998

Completed

Architect
Design

Usually involved in the front end design, with a "typical" condition being that of a leadership role through either Schematic Design or Design Development, and then a monitoring role through the CD and CA phases.

Architect of Record

Usually takes on the balance of the architectural effort not executed by the "Design Architect," typically responsible for the construction documents, conforming to local codes, etc. May often be referred to as "Executive," "Associate," or "Local" Architect, however, for consistency CTBUH uses the term "Architect of Record" exclusively.

Structural Engineer
Design

The Design Engineer is usually involved in the front end design, typically taking the leadership role in the Schematic Design and Design Development, and then a monitoring role through the CD and CA phases.

MEP Engineer
Design

The Design Engineer is usually involved in the front end design, typically taking the leadership role in the Schematic Design and Design Development, and then a monitoring role through the CD and CA phases.

Project Manager

The CTBUH lists a project manager when a specific firm has been commissioned to oversee this aspect of a tall building’s design/construction. When the project management efforts are handled by the developer, main contract, or architect, this field will be omitted.

Other Consultant

Other Consultant refers to other organizations which provided significant consultation services for a building project (e.g. wind consultants, environmental consultants, fire and life safety consultants, etc).

Damping
Façade Maintenance
Wind
Material Supplier

Material Supplier refers to organizations which supplied significant systems/materials for a building project (e.g. elevator suppliers, facade suppliers, etc).

Construction Hoists
Façade Maintenance Equipment
Steel
Architect
Design

Usually involved in the front end design, with a "typical" condition being that of a leadership role through either Schematic Design or Design Development, and then a monitoring role through the CD and CA phases.

Architect of Record

Usually takes on the balance of the architectural effort not executed by the "Design Architect," typically responsible for the construction documents, conforming to local codes, etc. May often be referred to as "Executive," "Associate," or "Local" Architect, however, for consistency CTBUH uses the term "Architect of Record" exclusively.

Structural Engineer
Design

The Design Engineer is usually involved in the front end design, typically taking the leadership role in the Schematic Design and Design Development, and then a monitoring role through the CD and CA phases.

Engineer of Record

The Engineer of Record takes the balance of the engineering effort not executed by the “Design Engineer,” typically responsible for construction documents, conforming to local codes, etc.

Ranhill Bersekutu Bhd
MEP Engineer
Design

The Design Engineer is usually involved in the front end design, typically taking the leadership role in the Schematic Design and Design Development, and then a monitoring role through the CD and CA phases.

Engineer of Record

The Engineer of Record takes the balance of the engineering effort not executed by the “Design Engineer,” typically responsible for construction documents, conforming to local codes, etc.

KTA Tenaga Sdn Bhd
Project Manager

The CTBUH lists a project manager when a specific firm has been commissioned to oversee this aspect of a tall building’s design/construction. When the project management efforts are handled by the developer, main contract, or architect, this field will be omitted.

Contractor
Main Contractor

The main contractor is the supervisory contractor of all construction work on a project, management of sub-contractors and vendors, etc. May be referred to as "Construction Manager," however, for consistency CTBUH uses the term "Main Contractor" exclusively.

Hazama Corporation; Ho Hup Construction Sdn. Bhd.; J.A. Jones Construction Co.; Mitsubishi Corporation; MMC Engineering & Construction Co.
Other Consultant

Other Consultant refers to other organizations which provided significant consultation services for a building project (e.g. wind consultants, environmental consultants, fire and life safety consultants, etc).

Damping
Façade

These are firms that consult on the design of a building's façade. May often be referred to as "Cladding," "Envelope," "Exterior Wall," or "Curtain Wall" Consultant, however, for consistency CTBUH uses the term "Façade Consultant" exclusively.

Vidaris, Inc.
Façade Maintenance
Wind
Material Supplier

Material Supplier refers to organizations which supplied significant systems/materials for a building project (e.g. elevator suppliers, facade suppliers, etc).

Construction Hoists
Façade Maintenance Equipment
Paint/Coating
Jotun
Steel

CTBUH Initiatives

CTBUH 50th Anniversary: Moments in History #4

2 May 2019 - Conference Activity

CTBUH Study Examines Tallest Buildings with Dampers

22 August 2018 - CTBUH Research

Videos

30 October 2017 | Kuala Lumpur

Rethinking CTBUH's Height Criteria in the Context of Tall Timber

Recent developments in the design and construction of progressively taller buildings using engineered timber as a structural material raise important questions about the language that...

Research

20 March 2020

Interactive Study on The Tallest 20 in 2020: Then and Now

CTBUH Research

This research paper undertakes a review of the 2012 report by the Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat, “Tallest 20 in 2020: Entering the...

About Petronas Twin Tower 1

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.

Quick Facts

  • Tallest twin-tower buildings in the world.
  • Shared world's tallest building title with Petronas Tower 2; 1998 - 2004. Preceded by the Sears Tower and surpassed by Taipei 101.

30 October 2017 | Kuala Lumpur

Rethinking CTBUH's Height Criteria in the Context of Tall Timber

Recent developments in the design and construction of progressively taller buildings using engineered timber as a structural material raise important questions about the language that...

16 March 2017 | Kuala Lumpur

Building Tall Skyscraper Lecture Series: How High Can We Go?

Thursday, March 16, 2017. Chicago, United States of America. Hosted in collaboration with the Chicago Architecture Foundation, the first lecture of the series Building Tall...

18 October 2016 | Kuala Lumpur

CTBUH 2016 China Conference - Panel,"Tall Buildings and Context: How High Can We Go and Why Should We?"

Tuesday, October 18, 2016. Shenzhen, China. Ron Klemencic, Magnusson Klemencic Associates; Karl Almstead, Turner Construction Company; Andrew Nicholson, CBRE; Jon Pickard, Pickard Chilton; Ian Smith,...

18 October 2016 | Kuala Lumpur

CTBUH Video Interview – Hashimah Hashim

Hashimah Hashim of KLCC Property Holdings Berhad is interviewed by Chris Bentley during the 2016 CTBUH China Conference. Hashimah discusses the master planning and development...

18 October 2016 | Kuala Lumpur

CTBUH Video Interview – Jon Pickard

Jon Pickard of Pickard Chilton is interviewed by Chris Bentley during the 2016 CTBUH China Conference. Jon discusses the local economic impacts of tall buildings.

17 October 2016 | Kuala Lumpur

Mega Size Mixed-Use Projects: Redefining Vertical Urbanism

Monday October 17, 2016. Shenzhen, China. Dennis Poon of Thornton Tomasetti, presents at the 2016 China Conference Session 4c: Structural & Geotechnic Engineering. As the...

16 October 2016 | Kuala Lumpur

CTBUH Video Interview – Karl Fender

Karl Fender of Fender Katsalidis Architects is interviewed by Chris Bentley during the 2016 CTBUH China Conference. Karl discusses the design concept for Merdeka PNB118...

27 October 2015 | Kuala Lumpur

Interview: Faudziah Ibrahim

Faudziah Ibrahim of KLCC is interviewed by Chris Bentley during the 2015 CTBUH New York Conference at the Grand Hyatt New York. Faudziah discusses Vision...

26 October 2015 | Kuala Lumpur

Petronas Towers and KLCC: Urban Catalyst

This presentation examines the role of skyscrapers in a well-planned mixed commercial development that is not driven by speculative short-term investment goals in revamping the...

06 November 2014 | Kuala Lumpur

Fazlur R. Khan Lifetime Achievement Award: Wind Engineering the World’s Tallest

Peter Irwin, one of the founding partners of Rowan Williams Davies and Irwin Inc. (RWDI), has led wind engineering on many of the world’s tallest...

20 March 2020

Interactive Study on The Tallest 20 in 2020: Then and Now

CTBUH Research

This research paper undertakes a review of the 2012 report by the Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat, “Tallest 20 in 2020: Entering the...

28 October 2019

Fifty Years of Fire Safety In Supertall Buildings

Peter Weismantle, AS+GG; James Antell, Telgian Engineering & Consulting

As international design teams participated in the development of high-rise structures around the world, many of the concepts of fire-safe design first introduced in the...

14 March 2019

Conjoined Tower Structures for Mile-High Tall Buildings

Kyoung Sun Moon, Yale University

Tall buildings are one of the most viable solutions to deal with the global phenomenon of rapid population increase and urbanization. While tall buildings are...

30 July 2018

World’s Tallest Buildings with Dampers

CTBUH Research

As tall buildings continue to be built in seismically-active and cyclone-prone areas, the need to augment the structures of these buildings with dynamic modification devices...

01 August 2011

Rethinking Evacuation: Rethinking Cities

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The terrorist attacks and consequential collapse of the World Trade Center towers on September 11, 2001 resulted in, arguably, the largest single retrospective analysis of...

13 April 2011

Tall and Urban: An Analysis of Global Population and Tall Buildings

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Tall buildings are spreading across the globe at an ever-increasing rate. This study demonstrates the relationship between population and tall buildings across those countries and...

01 August 2010

International Applications of Elevators for Fire Service Access and Occupant Egress in Fires

Richard W. Bukowski, RJA

Despite the absence of technical standards, tall buildings worldwide are incorporating elevators for occupant evacuation to achieve significant reductions in total evacuation times. Requirements include...

01 February 2010

Structural Design of Reinforced Concrete Tall Buildings

Ali Sherif S. Rizk, Dar Al-Handasah Consultants

During the last 12 years the Structural Engineering Department at Dar Al-Handasah has designed 45 mixed-use tall buildings in different Arab countries. The designed towers...

12 June 2008

The Tallest Buildings in the World: Past, Present & Future

CTBUH Research

Over time, the average height of the 100 tallest buildings in the world has been steadily increasing. However, by 2010, this average height will have...

17 May 2007

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The terrorist attacks on, and consequential collapse of, the World Trade Centre towers on September 11th 2001 has resulted in, arguably, the largest single retrospective...

2 May 2019

CTBUH 50th Anniversary: Moments in History #4

CTBUH Moment in History #4 discusses the controversial claim by the Petronas Towers for the title of “World’s Tallest Building” over the record holder at the time, Willis Tower.

22 August 2018

CTBUH Study Examines Tallest Buildings with Dampers

CTBUH has released a Tall Buildings in Numbers (TBIN) interactive data study on the world's tallest buildings with dampers.

13 October 2016

Top Company Rankings: The World’s 100 Tallest Buildings

The Council is pleased to announce the Top Company Rankings for numerous disciplines as derived from the list of projects appearing in 100 of the World’s Tallest Buildings.

16 December 2009

Height: The History of Measuring Tall Buildings

This article describes some of the events which took place in the Council's long, and sometimes complex, history of measuring tall buildings.

29 April 2007

CTBUH / Nakheel Asia Tour Report

CTBUH collaborated with the Dubai-based developer Nakheel and architects Woods Bagot to facilitate a 5-nation tour of seminal tall buildings in south-east Asia.