STAINLESS

STEEL ON
PETRONAS
TOWER

BY:GAYATHRI.M
 Its lustrous appearance
allows
town planners or
corporations to “make a
statement”
or create an “icon” in
landmark public
projects. And
apart from its aesthetic
properties, stainless
steel also
offers practical
advantages over other
materials: good
strength-to-weight ratio,
durability, recyclability.
 Skyscrapers are a classic
virility symbol
for high-growth economies,
with new
buildings breaking the
world record for
height with increasing
frequency. Their
impact is often enhanced by
stainless
steel cladding. The two
Petronas Towers
in Kuala Lumpur, the tallest
structures
in the world when
completed in 1996,
consumed 2,400 tons of
2.5mm type
316 stainless steel.
The forms of stainless steel
in buildings
are as varied as the material
itself. They
range from the purely
functional to
the aesthetic; in many cases
aesthetic
considerations combine
with functional
ones to make stainless steel
a highly
attractive choice. stainless
steel is highly visible, and
its
appearance is a major
motive for its use.
 that stainless
steel cladding has so often
been used
on the exteriors of buildings.
This has
several advantages.
Cladding is an
effective way of weather-
proofing a
building. Its grey sheen can
reflect sky and trees during
daytime and city lights
at night, and variety can be
obtained
by changes in light and
lighting.
Different finishes can reflect
and refract
the light in different ways.
 when the floodlights
are at full strength,
magically transforming
the towers into
something more,
magic. the condition of
the Kuala Lumpur
weather.
 At one point, the
spires looked as if it’s
emitting puffs of
smoke.
This effect is further
dramatized with the
orange-colored lights
reflected on the
clouds. The low
clouds reflected the
light pollution of the
city center very
clearly.
 According to
Pelli, the idea was
to create a multi-
faceted diamond
sparkling in the
sun. The steel
extrusion was used
not only to define
the height of floors
but also doubles
up as a shading
device!
 The mast above each
tower alone is 241 feet
long and weighed 176
tons, comprising of the
spire, mast ball and ring
ball. While the pinnacles
may act as an aesthetic
feature, the masts also
have functioning aircraft
warning lights.
Interestingly, the mast
was what allowed
Petronas Towers to clinch
the tallest building record
back when it was built,
beating out Chicago’s
Willis Tower.