The 36-story tower is expected to be complete in June 2008

An innovative heating and cooling system is in the works at a new Battery Park City tower. Sourced from the natural temperatures of the earth, the “Visionaire” will use two geothermal wells to regulate the temperatures of 40,000 square feet of its lower floors.

Located at 70 Little West Street, the building’s contractor Turner Construction began digging the energy-efficient wells in late January 2008. The geothermal wells extend as far as 1,500 feet below grade where the earth’s temperature is a constant 55 to 60 degrees Fahrenheit.

Geothermal wells are gaining popularity worldwide, and were first used in New York in 1997. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency reports that they are 30 to 50 percent more energy-efficient than typical heating and cooling systems, and can eliminate use of boilers and cooling towers for a range of building sizes.

At the Visionaire, the wells will be used to heat and cool the new Battery Park City Parks Conservancy offices in an otherwise all-residential building. The two wells are approximately 16 inches wide at the point of entry, narrowing to eight or nine inches at the lowest point.

They are created by drilling down through soil and bedrock, which at the site is about 50 feet below grade. The system extracts the earth’s natural temperature in a process similar to drinking through a straw. Ground water rises up and is circulated through a network of pipes in the building. The wells are spaced a standard distance apart to avoid changing the “temperature character” of the soil.

The 36-story Visionaire has been under construction since summer 2006 and is slated for completion in June 2008.