Kiran Jonnalagadda’s Blog

The Petronas Towers reflected in the pool by the Kuala Lumpur Convention Centre.

The Petronas Twin Towers dominate Kuala Lumpur’s skyline. Unlike the skyscrapers of Manhattan, the towers stand alone, as giants on the skyline from anywhere in the city. When I stepped out of KL Sentral Stesen, I could see them in the distance. They appeared just around the corner. Later that day near Sham’s house at the other end of the city, they still seemed just around the corner.

The towers were once the tallest buildings in the world, but that is a disputed claim, largely revolving around what is being measured. They were the tallest if you consider the spires as adding to the structure’s height. If not, the Sears Tower in Chicago held that title. The Sears Tower also has antennas on top extending beyond the Petronas’ spires, but by accepted standards, antennas are not part of a building’s structure. The Taipei 101 now holds the title by both measures. Wikipedia has a nice summary of the situation.

While skyscrapers of the future could conceivably be much taller, that is not as likely. In his 1999 book Faster, James Gleick noted that elevators are the primary obstacle. Because of the difference in air pressure between ground level and the building’s top, if the elevators go any faster, people will have to spend time in a decompression chamber before being let out. The Economist in June 2006 also carried an interesting feature on skyscrapers, focusing on issues of economic feasibility and physical limitations.