Phase I of the KLCC development included the Petronas Towers, which were built above a podium that contained a performing arts center, retail, an art and science museum, and a parking garage, as well as design of a central plant that serves the entire site.
WSP USA provided mechanical, electrical and plumbing (MEP) engineering for this first phase. The 30,000-ton central plant we designed features 12MW of cogeneration capacity using gas turbines to generate electric power, recovery boilers to efficiently produce high pressure steam and electric, and steam-driven chillers for site cooling requirements. The chillers use environmentally acceptable refrigerants to minimize potential hazards. The plant was later expanded to 60,000 tons to meet phase II and III requirements, and was configured to enable 100,000 ton hours of ice thermal storage in future phases.
Our engineers also designed site distribution for chilled water, electric power (including transformation), natural gas and telecommunications. The systems were designed with built-in redundancies, parallel and looped pathways to maximize utility service reliability.
The performing arts center in the podium features 1,000 seats, expandable to 2000. WSP’s MEP design included a constant volume system, energy recovery and humidity control to handle the local tropical climate. Under-stage storage areas contain humidity control and air conditioning. The atrium contains active solar temperature control and smoke exhaust systems. Movable partitions and ceilings are located within the facility for acoustical reverberation control. The performing arts center also has redundant electrical power and air conditioning.
