HIGH RISE STRUCTURE REPORT

PETRONAS TOWERS, Malaysia

• ANUSHKA- 01
• ANTARA -12
• NAZEEHA – 20
• RUTU- 32

4-C
A.B.C.M
About

• Name of the building: PETRONAS towers

• Main architect: Cesar Pelli & Associates

Architects

• Local architects: Adamson Associates

International, RSP Architects Planners & Engineers
Private Limited

• Year of completion: 1998

• Records: The twin Towers were the world's tallest

buildings, before being surpassed by the Taipei
101. However, the towers are still the tallest twin
buildings and office building in the world.
Program

• Offices: twin towers Total gross area: 1,366,714

square meters.

• Retail: a multi‐level retail centre, Total gross area

699,654 square meters.

• Hotel: a 1,800‐room convention hotel and

conference centre. Total gross area: 491,289
square meters.

• Parking: integrated parking for 6,650 cars

Design Development

• The design of the towers responds to its climate and to formal

characteristics of the dominant Islamic culture.

• The towers are figurative and symmetrical and create a figurative

space between them.

• Towers are tapered and set back five times in its ascent.

• The 88‐floor towers are constructed largely of reinforced

concrete, with a steel and glass façade designed to resemble
motifs found in Islamic art.
Design Development

Floor plate design

• Is based on simple Islamic geometric forms of two

interlocking squares creating a shape of
eight‐pointed stars.

• Upon the eight‐pointed stars, are eight

superimposed semi‐circles softening the inner
angles.

• These semicircles are themselves anchored by the

arcs of the main structural columns of the buildings.

• The semi‐circles were superimposed in the inner

angles of the interlocked squares to create more
usable floor space.
Material Presence

Skin :
1) Stainless steel extrusions with laminated green glass.
2)Curtain wall of 33000 panels.

Concrete :
1) Greater damping than steel, reduces sway- improves
occupant comfort in windy conditions
2) Allows members to be smaller and lighter : an
advantage in very tall buildings.
3) Local contractors were more familiar working with
concrete.
4) 10 ksi strength

Steel : -
1) Used for highly complex bridge because of flexibility
and ease of erection compared to concrete.
2) Steel is used only at top of towers.
Structural Design Development
Openings happen over
corners. Under wind loads,
the L‐shaped corner
columns would experience
biaxial bending and reduce
frame stiffness.
Early structural concept
studied for a concrete
perimeter tube frame:
Columns occur mid‐face and
windows wrap around corners.
Biaxial column bending and loss
of frame stiffness is avoided but
columns would block views.
Final concept
Columns are inset to enable a
continuous uninterrupted skin and
enable clear view of the exterior
from the interior.
Structural Systems

-Each tower is supported by a ring of 16 cylindrical

columns placed on inner corners of star shaped
plan. As each towers ascends, it sets back 6 times.

-Columns are sloped inward over three stories.

-They form a soft tube.

-Floor slabs resist the lateral thrust.

-Reinforcing bars are added to ring beams

Wind & Seismic Design
Earthquake
Wind
‐Seismic issue not a major design
consideration

-Rubber sheathed heavy

galvanized ship anchor chain
freely swinging within a steel
pipe acts as an inexpensive,
effective damper.

-Cylindrical towers sustain

vortex shedding
Soil and Foundation

-Irregular bedrock beneath site.

- Perimeter diaphragm walls 2’-6” thick.

- Underground forest of friction piles providing greater

distribution of the towers’ weight .

-Two raft foundations, 15’thick, containing 13,000 cum of

concrete

-300,000 metric ton of each tower spread over concrete

slab or mat anchored to soil, not bed rock.

-The towers rest on RCC foundation mat poured over

piles.

-208 barrette piles, rectangular 9ft x 4ft, 197ft to 380ft

control settling
 Exterior of Petronas Tower

- Each Tower is set back five times in its ascent to

maintain the vertical axis and tapering of the
design.

- The walls of the uppermost floors are also

sloped inward to taper and meet the pinnacle.

- Vision Glass, specialized panels with light

filtering and noise reduction properties, provide
a comfortable inner environment.

- The glass is covered by stainless steel visors to

further protect visitors from the tropical sun.
 Construction Process

- The construction of the superstructure

commenced on1 April 1994. Interiors with
furniture were completed on 1 January 1996, the
spires of Tower 1 and Tower 2 were completed
on 1 March 1996 .

- Cast in place concrete core walls, perimeter

columns and beams use eight sizes and three
concrete mixes to optimize size, strength, stiffness
and cost.

- Perimeter columns varying in diameter and

concrete strength rise, upward and step back to
create tapered tower tops.
 Construction Process

- Concrete outriggers between 38th and

40th floors connect the core to the
perimeter columns increasing stiffness
and resistance to lateral loads.

- Skyscrapers need strong, deep

foundations that penetrate the ground
below. Given the tremendous height of
the towers, the PETRONAS Twin Towers
have a ground-breaking 120 meters
(approx. 400 ft.) of solid foundation
underneath its dense concrete
footings.

- Steel wide-flange beams provide long

spans and fast erection between the
concrete core and ring beams.

Tower profile with foundation

Sky Bridge

• Designed to function as a building exit in

emergencies.

• Shallow girder system for the walkway, supported at

mid‐span by a three‐hinged arch.

• Inverted ‘v’ shape, 3‐pinned arch supports the bridge

in the centre accommodating all movements while
maintaining it equidistant from both towers.

• The Bridge relies on the towers for gravity and lateral

support, but allows them to move freely.

• This avoids the potentially damaging forces that can

result when trying to restrain large moving buildings.
Sky Bridge

• Each arch leg spins from a single spherical bearing

allowing rotation in all axes as tower move.

• Wind forces are important design considerations.

• Three tuned mass dampers in each sloping leg

between the 34th and 35th floors reduce wind‐
excited leg vibrations, mitigating movements and
avoiding metal fatigue.
 Pinnacle ball

- The crowning glory to the twin towers

were the pair of 73.5m high steel
pinnacles that would propel the towers
to fame as the world's tallest building .

- Each pinnacle comprised a mast, a spire

ball and a ring ball; all were lifted piece
by piece.

- These structures house aircraft warning

lights and external maintenance
building equipment.

- Each pinnacle features a spire with 23

segments, and a ring ball comprised of
14 rings of varying diameters.
Gravity Loads
Lateral Loads Arch Action
Cladding

• A total of 83,500sq m of stainless steel extrusions and 55,000sq m

of laminated glass were used to clad the walls and realize
architect Cesar Pelli's vision, which was that of a "multi-faceted
diamond sparkling in the sun.“
• Designed as a curtain wall exterior, the cladding comprised
33,000 panels in all; each panel is as high as one floor and
spans ledge to ledge.
• Laminated glass was preferred for its safety, sound insulation,
durability and solar energy control. It also screens out most
ultra-violet rays, hence protecting the interior from sun
damage.
• Like the typical floors, cladding was constructed using the four-
day cycle system. All panels were interlocked and placed in a
down upwards position.
Services

As one of the tallest skyscraper the towers consist of various service systems, for an overall easy
functioning.
• Vertical transportation system/ Lifts
• ‘Cool’ recovery system
• Air-conditioning system and Building control system (BCS)
• Building security system (BSS)
• Telecommunications system
• Fire alarm system (FAS)
• Exterior lighting
Vertical transportation system/ Lifts

• Vertical transportation in the towers is controlled

by a unique, specially designed system. The
towers are serviced by a total of seventy-six lifts,
of which fifty-eight are double-deck lifts.
• The double decker's make better use of the core
space and require less room for hoisting, thus
maximizing the efficiency of passenger
transportation.
• Each double-deck unit is capable of carrying
twenty-six persons per deck.
• The shuttle elevators can carry twenty-six persons
per deck, or fifty-two per trip, while each of the
other double-deck lifts is designed to take twenty-
three passengers per deck.
• Travelling time is between 3.5 meters per second
and 7 meters per second, depending on which
zone the lifts are servicing.
‘Cool’ recovery system

• The integrated energy conservation concept of the towers is based

on an innovative ‘cool’ recovery system, which cools outside air as
it enters the building by using exhaust air as a heat sink.
• Exhaust air from the building is routed through heat wheels and run-
around coils which cool incoming air from the outside or provide
heat where needed.
• Outside the towers, sunshades are geometrically optimized to cut
solar gain by about 15 per cent. Glazing was also evaluated in
relation to operating costs and single glazing was selected.
• Other features used to minimize air-conditioning costs are variable-
speed chilled-water pumps and high-temperature-difference
chilled-water systems.
• Using variable-speed chilled-water pumps to bring chilled water to
pressure zones helps to reduce pumping costs.
• Air-handling equipment has two-way control valves that admit only
enough chilled water to meet the load. The pumping-control
system reacts to the instantaneous building load, minimizing energy
use. An energy-transfer station consisting of heat exchangers,
control valves and hydraulic bridges maintains the optimum
temperature settings.
Air-conditioning system and Building control system

• The air-conditioning system selected for the towers uses floor-

by-floor air-handling units, utilizing chilled water.
• The floor-by-floor system solves problems of acoustics,
compactness and ease of maintenance and control.
• The system is served by the district cooling centre, a 30,000-
ton chilled water plant built separately, which combines
natural gas-driven cogeneration equipment with various
forms of chillers driven by steam turbine and electricity.

• The building control system (BCS) provides central

management and monitoring for air-conditioning control,
lighting control, and electrical and chilled water monitoring,
as well as providing energy management services.
• The BCS is linked to the life-safety system, which is designed to
override the BCS in the event of an emergency. If fire breaks
out on a floor, the BCS allows for a pressure differential
between that and the adjacent floors, permitting the fire to
be contained during the evacuation process.
Building security system (BSS)

• The building security system (BSS) is designed to

operate via a local area network (LAN), which
has a two-tier structure, whereby the primary
network links the controllers to the command
centre and the secondary facilitates
communication with the end devices.
• High-level software running on the integrated
security network captures all data to ensure
automated coordination among the BSS
subsystems, which include: a card access and
alarm monitoring system, voice intercoms, audio
alarm surveillance and monitoring systems and a
closed-circuit television system.
Telecommunications system
• The telecommunications system is a structured cabling system comprising vertical and horizontal
cabling, inter-building cabling and connection to telecommunications carrier companies.
• The hub of the system is a central telecommunications office (CTO), which serves as a local
communications exchange and gateway to the outside world.
• The CTO also enables tenants to access various value added services such as video conferencing,
electronic mail and central phone services.
• The system is designed as a local loop communications system providing direct connections from the
main subscriber distribution frame to the end user using a fiber-optic network.
Fir alarm system (FAS)

• The fire alarm system (FAS) is designed using special fire detection systems that include smoke and
heat detectors, manual call points, tamper and flow switches for sprinkler-system monitoring, a public
address system and a firemen‘s telephone / two-way intercom system.
• Each tower has a separate fire alarm system but is networked via an LAN to allow management to be
centralized at the central fire command centre (CFCC), located at street level, which monitors status
and controls the fire alarm and detection systems, automatic sprinkler system, smoke control system, lift
status, emergency power and firemen‘s telephone system, and is linked directly to the Fire and Rescue
Department of Malaysia.
• During normal building operations, the fire safety system is monitored and controlled by the building
control system (BCS), but in the event of fire, the fire alarm system takes over control.
• The fire safety plan of the towers is designed so that if a fire occurs on a floor served by the high-rise
elevator banks, the shuttle elevators will be available for use in evacuating occupants.
• The plan specifies phased evacuation, including relocation of occupants on the fire floor and the
floors above and below. Other floors would be evacuated or occupants relocated only if required
subsequently.
• Each tower can be split into two segments at levels forty-one and forty-two, because of the elevator
zoning arrangements and the sky bridge, a protected zone providing horizontal egress to the adjacent
tower.
Exterior lighting
• Exterior lighting is instrumental in giving form and presence to the towers
at night.
• The primary goal of the exterior lighting scheme was to light the surfaces
of the towers in a dynamic and intriguing manner.
• As part of this scheme, the internal shafts of the towers are also lit to
radiate a core of light and creates a visual impression of height,
reinforces and accentuates the void between the towers and clearly
expresses their form.
• All floodlighting fixtures house metal halide lamps, ranging from 70 watts
to 150 watts to 400 watts.
• Long-range projectors use 1,800-watt sources. The five setbacks above
the sky bridge are highlighted by uplights mounted at the apex of each
of their sixteen corners.
• Each pinnacle and spire receives the light of more than 100 floodlights
mounted on the five tiers.
• The vertical illumination creates a plume of light that extends above the
two towers at night. The pinnacles glow from within from eight 400-watt
floodlights and the top of each spire is lighted by sixteen 1,800- watt
narrow floodlights, their brightness so intense that the spire ball itself
appears to be a lamp.
References

• https://s3.amazonaws.com/media.archnet.org/system/publications/contents/1204/original/FLS1235.p
df?1384750074
• https://www.slideshare.net/somyagupta583671/petronas-twin-tower
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