otis elevator

Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

Petronas Twin Towers

Soaring 1,483 feet (452 meters) above the busy streets of Kuala Lumpur, the Petronas Twin Towers were until recently the tallest buildings in the world. The towers were completed in 1998. And, ever since, they have been an integral part of Malaysia’s national pride and a globally known icon. The twin skyscrapers, joined by a dramatic sky bridge at the 44th floor, are the headquarters of Malaysia’s national oil corporation.
Seventy-six Otis elevators (29 of them double-deck) carry passengers through the towers at a speed of 23 feet (7 meters) per second. The buildings also feature Otis escalators.
Installing the elevators, among the largest ever made by Otis, posed unique engineering challenges. Architect Cesar Pelli designed the buildings’ floor plans to form an eight-pointed star, a traditional Malaysian Islamic pattern.
With a small, narrow footprint, there wasn’t enough space in the building core for a conventional “side-by-side” elevator configuration. Instead, the elevators were “stacked” so they overlapped and required less space. To dissipate the electricity generated by the heavy elevators moving through long, narrow shafts, Otis also built in “resistor banks” that absorb energy.
The elevator installation also focused on passenger comfort. To reduce cab noise in the buildings’ narrow shafts, the elevators were shrouded with aerodynamic coverings.