A Look Into The Region

Malaysia's dominating 452 meter (1483 ft) twin Petronas Towers adorn the cover of this issue of the journal. Completed in 1998 after 5 years of construction the towers are home to Malaysia's state owned oil company, Petronas, and now hold title as "tallest in the world." Located in the capital, Kuala Lumpur, the building's architect, Cesar Pelli, designed them to express the culture and heritage of Malaysia, and to construct a monument to announce the city's prominence as a commercial and cultural center. The design of the 88-storey towers is based on an Islamic arabesque and uses repetitive geometric characteristics of Muslim architecture. An eight-point "star" formed from two squares at the heart of each tower represents the relationship between heaven and earth. Built on a former horse racing track, each tower has 2 million sq ft of office space with truly spectacular views from the upper floors.