Mixed construction: key to the Petronas Twin Towers: Fid-Bau Portal

Mixed construction: key to the Petronas Twin Towers

Thornton, C.H.

Mixed construction is used to good advantage for the Petronas Twin Towers at Kuala Lumpur City Centre in Kuala Lumpur. High-strength concrete in the central core, perimeter columns, perimeter ring beams and outriggers permits vertical core and column elements to be economical and of reasonable size, saving rentable space. Concrete permits construction using relatively light, simple equipment and the skills of the local work force, while simplifying connections in joints of difficult geometry, and providing fire rated shaft walls in the core. Concrete benefits the wind-resisting framing system due to its inherent stiffness when sized for strength, its greater mass leading to longer, more comfortable building periods, and its inherent internal damping reducing building response to wind gusts. Steel beams and decking provides fast, flexible erection to meet an ambitious schedule, while permitting last-minute or post-construction changes for tenants' special openings or loading requirements with minimal impact. The steel framing system used permits local fabrication and innovative non-crane erection methods, while the decking used provides the needed fire ratings without firespray or thick or lightweight concrete fill. Steel also provides the slender, striking exposed structural forms of special architectural features at the Skybridge and Pinnacles. While both the high-strength concrete and the steel used on this project are new to the local market, and the scale of work is larger than seen before, by using each material appropriately an economical project was built using local workers on a tight schedule.