The Twin Pinnacles

The PETRONAS Twin Towers' pinnacles, made oI structural steel, stand 73.5m tall. Each
pinnacle took over 19 weeks to Iabricate. One was Iabricated in Japan and the other in Korea,
while the primary structure was manuIactured locally in lpoh, Perak, and Sungai Buloh,
Selangor. Three days oI hydro-jacking set the pinnacles almost halI a kilometre above the city oI
Kuala Lumpur to the exacting tolerance oI 30mm in line with the Towers below.

The pinnacles play an important part in both the aesthetics and Iunctionality oI the Towers. The
timeless minaret design is a crowning symbol oI the country and its culture. However, the more
urbane Iunctions oI housing aircraIt warning lights and window washing equipment Ior the
Towers are also stored within the pinnacle assembly.

Each pinnacle is composed oI a spire, mast ball and ring ball, which are in turn made up oI 50
unique elements, interlocked into single 176-ton pieces. Thus Irom the ground to the pinnacle-
tips, the Towers are an embodiment oI state-oI-the-art engineering and visionary design.

The pinnacle
The crowning glory to the twin towers were the pair oI 73.5m-high steel pinnacles that would
propel the towers to Iame as the world's tallest building.
Each pinnacle comprised a mast, a spire ball and a ring ball; all were liIted piece by piece in
place.
Feb 13, 1996 is another eventIul day - the day when the construction oI the pinnacle began. First
the mast, which had 24 segments, were numbered and jack-liIted according to sequence. The
ring ball, which consisted oI 14 concentric tubes oI diIIering diameters, was placed a third oI the
way up the mast. Finally, the spire ball, which was designed in 10 sections, was welded to the
top oI the pinnacle. (See diagram)
According to Hashimah, although both contractors started on the pinnacles simultaneously,
Tower Two was completed six days earlier on March 5, 1996!
"For Tower One, they began building the pinnacle Irom both ends (they liIted the top halI which
was already assembled and started building Irom below so that the pinnacle would meet halIway)
while Tower Two assembled it piece by piece until it was completed. It was a learning process
Ior the contractors and engineers Ior both towers."
Another unique Ieature oI the pinnacles was that they were cladded entirely in stainless steel
which would be brushed using a hairline brush technique (very reIined brush strokes which
makes the steel shine) until it shone.
The intention, says Ragupathy, was to ensure that the light reIlecting oII the pinnacle was
vertical so as to give the "illusion oI greater height."
But it is no illusion that aIter 37 months oI sheer hard work, ingenuity and determination, the
country's latest monument to its "Malaysia Boleh" spirit is a reality that can truly stand tall and
proud among the world's greatest ediIices.