Join me for a Tour of the Majestic Petronas Towers in Malaysia
On day three of our visit to Kuala Lumpur, after Sophie, Memrie, and I left the Malaysian Handicraft Development Corporation, our out rider, Mr. Abu Bakar, led us through the downtown area so that we could tour the magnificent Petronas Towers. With eighty-eight floors and 1,483 feet (452m) tall, these buildings are the tallest twin buildings in the world. Tower One is occupied by Petronas, a Malaysian-owned oil and gas company and Tower Two is leased to other companies.
Designed by Argentine architects César Pelli and Djay Cerico, the Petronas Towers are filled with extraordinary motifs found in Islamic art. One very interesting feature of the towers is the two-story skybridge that connects the buildings at the 41st and 42nd floors. This bridge is not rigidly attached to the structures, but is instead, designed to move independently to prevent it from breaking during high winds. If you saw the movie ‘Entrapment’ starring Sean Connery and Catherine Zeta-Jones, you may recall that the Petronas Towers were a setting for some thrilling scenes. In any event, please enjoy this little tour!
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- The skyline of Kuala Lumpur is graced by the regal Petronas Twin Towers.
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- The towers’ location in the center of Malaysia’s capital city of Kuala Lumpur reflects the fact that downtown Kuala Lumpur has historically served as the center of Malaysian culture, politics and economy.
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- Another view up as we walked around the towers
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- The Petronas logo near the entrance – Petronas is short for Petroliam Nasional Berhad.
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- This intricate steelwork coordinates beautifully with the intricate woodwork.
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- A detail of the bridge
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- I liked these interestingly placed notebooks.
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- Each tower has 16,000 windows letting in so much natural light.
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- Another view
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- Here I am with Memrie and our fabulous out rider, Mr. Abu Bakar. He expediently and safely delivered us to the Petronas Twin Towers.
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- Looking up at these elegant towers
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- Another view – we later visited the top floor of the bridge, which is located on the 42nd floor.
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- The downtown area has lush vegetation, like these beautiful palm trees.
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- Here I am speaking with Mr. Safful Bahari Din, an executive at the Petronas Towers. He kindly gave us a tour.
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- We loved these amazing chandeliers.
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- More great lighting
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- For safety, one must pass through a security check before getting on the elevator.
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- Such exquisite detail everywhere
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- There is a lot of construction being done all around Kuala Lumpur.
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- Looking out at one side of the city
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- And the other with the Kuala Lumpur Tower
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- This apartment building is very unique in that each unit has its own swimming pool!
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- Imagine, a beatifully designed and very green water park right in downtown Kuala Lumpur!
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- This is the skybridge that spans between the 41st and 42nd floors of each tower. Due to the subtle sway of the tall towers, the bridge is not actually attached to these floors, but held in place by suspensions attached to lower floors!
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- Looking down at the fascinating geometric patterns on one section of the lower rooftop.
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- Here I am, stepping out on the skybridge.
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- Mr. Bahari Din gave us a most comprehensive tour of the Petronas Towers.
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- The skybridge has skylights and here is a view of one tower from the middle of the bridge.
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- Waving to Sophie, who lay on the floor trying to photograph both tower tops – it’s difficult to find the exact angle.
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- But, she did it!
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- Sophie on the skybridge
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- A beautiful Islamic pattern on this tile floor
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