1. I have been given a task to critically compare and contrast a buildings of
my choice. I have chosen two buildings which I believe are the most unique
buildings of all. I have compiled a breakdown on each buildings to better
understand the background, then gone on to compare the structure and layout
and look how these buildings are physically different. I have then investigated
the materials used and functions of these two buildings. Petronas Towers and
Burj Khalifah are the two buildings that caught my attention.
First of all , Petronas Towers are twin skyscrapers that located in Kuala
Lumpur, Malaysia. César Pelli, an Argentine American architect known for
designing some of the world’s tallest buildings is the architect of Petronas
Towers. The architectural style of this skyscrapers is postmodern. Furthermore,
the construction of this building was started on 1st
March 1993 and completed
on 1st
March 1996 which then costed about US$5.6billion. This building is
owned by KLCC Holdings SDN BHD. On the other hand, Burj Khalifa is a
megatall skyscraper located in Dubai, United Arab Emirates. The architect that
designed this recognizable building is Adrain Smith, an American architect of
international renown, having designed many landmarks buildings. Neo-futurism
is the architectural style of this building. Burj Khalifa was constructed on 6th
January 2004 and was completed on 30th
December 2009. It was built at a
cost of USD$ 1.5billion and the developer is Emaar Properties.
The second point that I would like to compare is the structure and design
of these buildings. Petronas Twin Towers is 452 metres tall and has a
number of 88 storeys. The total built up area of this twin skyscrapers is
2. 341,760 sq. metres. There is a sky-bridge that links these two towers together
which located at the 41st and 42nd floor and has a length of 584metres and
is 170m height above street level. Besides, the design of each Tower’s floor
plate is inspired by Islamic geometric form of two interlocking square which
shaped like an 8-pointed stars. These forms represents Islamic principles of
“unity within unity, harmony, stability and rationality.” On the other hand, Burj
Khalifa is 828 metres tall and about 160 storeys. The floor area of this
megatall skyscraper is 3,331,100sq feet. Burj Khalifa has 54 elevators which
have a very high. Similarly, Burj Khalifa’s design was also inspired by
something meaningful, a Hyemenocallis flower. Just like the flower, this
skyscraper is composed of three elements arranged around the central core.
Even though Twin towers were once the highest buildings in the world from
the year 1998 to 2004 but Burj Khalifa has taken over the name and holds
the world Records on : the tallest building in the world which is three times
as tall as Eiffel Tower.
Furthermore, the functions and activities around these two buildings are
different too. Twin Towers are the convention centre of Kuala Lumpur. At the
feet of the Petronas Towers, there is a upmarket retail centre named Suria
KLCC. Under the building is the KLCC park with walking and jogging paths, a
fountain with light show, wading pools and a children’s playground. However,
Twin Towers are a fully commercial used buildings but not residential.
Conversely, Burj Khalifa is a mix-use building , there’s some floors which are
used as parking lots, hotel , residential , sky lobby, mechanical, corporate
suites, communication and broadcast, and also atmosphere restaurant. Below
the building is the world’s biggest shopping centre and entertainment
3. destination, The Dubai Mall. Apart of that, Downtown Dubai, a dynamic city
bub with residential towers, commercial precincts and world’s well known
hotels Similarly, these two buildings are more to commercial use.
Lastly , the material used by these two buildings are the point that I would
like to compare too. Twin towers were built with high-strength concrete, a
material that was twice as effective as steel in sway reduction. Besides, the
towers were supported by 75-by-75-foot concrete cores. A curtain wall of glass
and stainless steel sun shades are included to diffuse the intense equatorial
light. In contrast, Burj Khalifa was also built with the basic materials, concrete
and steel. However, the materials used that make up the outside façade of
the tower are glass, silicone and aluminium.
As a conclusion , we can say that Burj Khalifa has awe-inspiring height
and design. Besides, Burj Khalifa is surrounded by all sorts of buildings ,thus
it acts as the main attraction and centre of Arab. On the other hand,
Petronas Twin Towers are the tallest twin towers in the world and it has a
very unique structure.
4. References
Wikipedia. (n.d). Burj Khalifa
Retrieved from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Burj_Khalifa
Robert.(n.d ). 10 Interesting facts about burj khalifa
Retrieved from http://www.robertqtillsonburg.com/post/view/10-interesting-facts-
about-burj-khalifa
5. Pre-writing
I. Introduction –
1. Compare and contrast two buildings , Petronas Twin Towers and Burj
Khalifa.
2. Compare and contract each building’s background, architect profile,
structure, layout and materials used.
3. Why do I choose these two buildings?
II. First Supporting Paragraph –
1. Twin towers located in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
2. César Pelli is the architect that designed Twin Towers.
3. Architectural style : postmodern
4. Twin Towers costed USD$5.6 billion.
5. It is owned by KLCC Holdings SDN BHD.
6. Burj Khalifa located in Dubai, United Arab Emirates.
7. Architect : Adrain Smith
8. Architectural style : Neo futurism
9. Burj Khalifa was constructed on 6th
January 2004 and was completed
on 30th
December 2009.
10.Costed USD $1.5billion
11.Developer : Emaar Properties
III. Second supporting paragraph -
6. 1. Twin towers are 452m tall , have 88 storeys and a total area of
341,760 sq. metres
2. Have sky bridge which connects the two towers
3. Shaped like 8-pointed stars and were inspired by Islamic cluture
4. Burj khalifa is 828m tall , has 160 storeys and a total area of
3,331,100sq feet
5. Has 54 elevators which are working in high speed
6. Designed was inspired by Hyemenocallis flower
7. Tallest building in the world
IV. Third supporting paragraph –
1. Twin Towers are the convention centre of Kuala Lumpur
2. Below the towers are the shopping mall, Suria KLCC and a park
named KLCC Park
3. Burj Khalifa is a mix-use building
4. The Dubai Mall and Dubai Downtown are popular buildings below
Burj Khalifa
V. Forth supporting paragraph –
1. Twin towers were built with concrete, glass , stainless steel etc
2. Burj Khalifa was built with concrete, glass, aluminium, silicom , steel
etc
7. Name : Tan Shen Sin
ID : 0324602
Module : ELG30505
Session : August, 2015
