Construction has begun on Paul Davis + Partner’s La Vita Tower – the first building in the ancient Chinese capital city of Nanjing to use a chilled beam system for cooling and heating.

The 14-storey tower’s glass façade implements a network of aluminium and steel fins, while internally, pipes of water will pass through an integrated beam heat exchanger, chilling the air and causing a constant flow of convection to cool and heat the building.

The tower will feature three floors of retail at its base, and 11 floors of luxury apartments and clubhouse facilities above.

It is part of a larger development that includes a 25-story building as well as a 300-meter-high tower.

Designed for client Accurate International Land and scheduled for completion in 2015, La Vita Tower is expected to spur the regeneration of Nanjing’s CBD and ‘encapsulate the spirit of the city.’

Images: Paul Davis+Partners

Courtesy Inhabitat