吉隆坡石油双塔，马来西亚 Petronas Twin Towers, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia (© tampatra/Getty Images)

吉隆坡石油双塔，马来西亚 Petronas Twin Towers, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia (© tampatra/Getty Images)

一双高耸入云的摩天大楼 A pair of high achievers

Skyscraper Day

The Petronas Twin Towers are the unmistakable calling card of the Malaysian capital city of Kuala Lumpur, affectionately called KL. The 88-story, 1,483-foot cylindrical towers were the tallest buildings in the world when they were completed in 1998, until 2004 when Taiwan's Taipei 101 topped them by almost 200 feet. Still the tallest twin skyscrapers in the world, they're our perfect inspiration today on Skyscraper Day, set aside to appreciate such engineering and architectural feats.

The Petronas Towers, named for Malaysia's state-owned oil and gas company, were designed by the late Argentine-American architect Cesar Pelli, who incorporated motifs of Islamic art into his postmodern design. It remains his masterpiece, and a true standout in a country and continent full of skyscrapers. One of the most unique features of the towers can be seen here: a two-level skybridge that connects the towers at the 41st and 42nd floors. The bridge is not actually anchored to the main structure, but freely slides into each tower to accommodate any swaying caused by wind.

The preponderance of supertall structures in Asia isn't a coincidence. Skyscrapers spring up where populations are high, land is in short supply, and economies flourish. Plus, for an up-and-coming city, nothing says you've arrived like a gleaming skyscraper—or a pair of them. And why stop there? Even the Petronas Towers, though emblematic of the KL skyline, are no longer the tallest kid on the block in Malaysia with the arrival of 2,227-foot Merdeka 118, completed this year as the second-highest building in the world.

摩天大楼日

马来西亚国家石油公司双子塔是马来西亚首都吉隆坡的名片，吉隆坡被亲切地称为吉隆坡。这座88层、1483英尺高的圆柱形塔楼在1998年竣工时是世界上最高的建筑，直到2004年，台湾的台北101大楼高耸了近200英尺。它们仍然是世界上最高的双子摩天大楼，它们是我们今天摩天大楼日的完美灵感，被用来欣赏这些工程和建筑壮举。

马石油塔以马来西亚国有石油和天然气公司命名，由已故阿根廷裔美国建筑师塞萨尔·佩利（Cesar Pelli）设计，他在后现代设计中融入了伊斯兰艺术的主题。它仍然是他的杰作，在一个摩天大楼林立的国家和大陆上，它是一个真正的杰出人物。塔楼最独特的特征之一可以在这里看到：一座两层的天桥连接着41层和42层的塔楼。桥梁实际上并没有锚定在主体结构上，而是自由滑入每个塔楼，以适应风引起的任何摇摆。

超高层建筑在亚洲的优势并非巧合。在人口众多、土地短缺、经济繁荣的地方，摩天大楼拔地而起。此外，对于一个正在崛起的城市来说，没有什么比一座闪闪发光的摩天大楼或一对摩天大楼更能说明你的到来。为什么要停在那里？即使是马来西亚国家石油公司的塔楼，尽管是吉隆坡天际线的象征，但随着2227英尺高的Merdeka 118的落成，它已不再是马来西亚最高的建筑，今年建成，成为世界第二高楼。