Times Square x ABURI-EN – 
Stay Cool – Boosting Water Tower Performance with Unused Ice Cubes

[Times Square Limited x ABURI-EN was awarded “Collaborative Project of the Year (Circular Economy) – Merit” in the Hong Kong Green Shop Alliance Award 2023]

Times Square is a Grade-A building located in Causeway Bay that uses a centralised A/C system, which features water-cooled chillers and cooling towers. These chillers and towers comprise a significant proportion of the building’s electricity consumption. After learning that its tenant ABURI-EN, a Japanese restaurant, was disposing of unused ice cubes daily, Times Square came up with an innovative idea to kill two birds with one stone.

Times Square Limited first installed IoT sensors at its cooling towers to measure temperature fluctuations and prove the efficacy of its experiment. It then collected the unused ice cubes and disposed of them in the cooling towers. The condenser water was proven to become cooler after deployment of the unused ice cubes and the overall A/C system’s COP (coefficient of performance) was boosted. At the same time, ABURI-EN was able to save costs and manpower on clearing unused ice, achieving “zero waste” and resulting in more efficient resource utilisation.

This collaborative project demonstrates that implementing environmentally friendly and sustainable measures doesn't necessarily require high costs or the addition of expensive machinery.  Times Square aspires for this solution to set a high bar for the industry and foster similar partnerships. This approach also promotes the trend of a greener business model, achieving a win-win situation for landlords and tenants.