# Bangladesh tower fire

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bangladesh-tower-fire/831663>\
**Category:** Factual Questions\
**Created:** [March 28, 2019, 3:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bangladesh-tower-fire/831663 "2019-03-28T15:15:41Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 5\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![dflower](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dflower/32/3270_2.png) [@dflower](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dflower)\
**Post date:** [March 28, 2019, 3:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bangladesh-tower-fire/831663/1 "2019-03-28T15:15:41Z")

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Are those air conditioning compressors on the exterior of the high rise building?  
And why are there so many?  
I don’t know how they set up a tall building for HVAC in Bangladesh. Do you?

> **[At Least 25 Die in Office Tower Fire in Dhaka, Bangladesh (Published 2019)](https://www.nytimes.com/2019/03/28/world/asia/bangladesh-fire-dhaka.html?action=click&module=MoreInSection&pgtype=Article&region=Footer&contentCollection=Asia%20Pacific)**
>
> A fire official said that at least 70 people had been injured, and witnesses said they saw several people falling from the building in an effort to escape the flames.

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**Author:** ![beowulff](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/beowulff/32/542_2.png) [@beowulff](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/beowulff)\
**Post date:** [March 28, 2019, 3:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bangladesh-tower-fire/831663/2 "2019-03-28T15:35:16Z")

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They are the compressors of a “[mini-split](http://www.fujitsugeneral.com/us/residential/what-is-a-mini-split.html)” system.  
I would guess that the building didn’t have central AC when it was built, and these were added later. Each system can handle several rooms, so you need a lot of them.

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**Author:** ![dflower](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dflower/32/3270_2.png) [@dflower](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dflower)\
**Post date:** [March 28, 2019, 5:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bangladesh-tower-fire/831663/3 "2019-03-28T17:14:20Z")

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Thanks Beowulff.  
Seems odd in a place as hot and humid as Bangladesh that a building would not have central AC in the design.

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**Author:** ![NBYodo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/a9a28c/32.png) [@NBYodo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/NBYodo)\
**Post date:** [March 31, 2019, 8:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bangladesh-tower-fire/831663/5 "2019-03-31T08:48:11Z")

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Central AC is common in many places but splits are much cheaper to install.

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**Author:** ![jjakucyk](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/3d9bf3/32.png) [@jjakucyk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jjakucyk)\
**Post date:** [March 31, 2019, 3:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bangladesh-tower-fire/831663/6 "2019-03-31T15:50:56Z")

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Mini-splits are very common throughout Asia. It’s hot so you need a/c, but not only are mini-splits cheaper to install, the tenants pay for the electricity to run them, and they’re not dependent on a central cooling tower or internal plumbing. I suppose it is possible to meter a central system with flow meters and such, but that’s even pricier.