Universidad Tecnológica de México

Architecture engineering “Campus sur”.

THE ARCHITECTURAL DIFFERENCES

BETWEEN MÉXICO & CANADA

By:

Ramírez Cantú Enit Vianey.

Tutor:

Barry Kelleghan.

Toronto, Canada. 20/08/ 2019

 THE ARCHITECTURAL DIFFERENCES
BETWEEN MÉXICO & CANADA
Introduction
Architecture is not just an art, it is the reflection of your personality and the
environment. One cave can be a house the same as a tree, everything depends
on the available resources.
Have you ever thought about the difference between materials used in the
construction buildings system of México & Canada?
This essay will focus on the modern architecture of each country and how it
has evolved over years. It will start with a short history of each nation. Then i
will move through time to analyse the advantage and disadvantage of each
construction system to finally decide witch one is the best.
Definition of Architecture
“Classic definitions of architecture hold that it is "the mother of the arts." today
architecture is more likely to be defined, not as an art, but in technical terms, or as
an expression of a given society's values a broad definition of architecture - one
that calls for a balance between artistic and technical factors as well as between
folk and high-art traditions is not new”1 

Architecture in Canada
A way to understand Canadian architecture, is to go back in time, when the
indigenous people created a unique architecture while they survived in the
igloo, tipi among others. These are made from ice, with
technique to make a dome in order to keep warmer that the exterior, usually
the people use sea-ice to made the squares in order to keep it stronger, on the
contrary the” tipi” it was made from the leather of animals they used to hunt.
They did not know what they were creating, their only purpose was refuge
from nature, especially of the weather, also the shape of this construction has
an ingenious purpose “ these buildings are not only technically ingenious and
original, but reflect deeply held cultural belief systems that make the buildings
rich repositories of spiritual and religious significance, Contemporary
1
ARCHITECTURE. Geoffrey Simians.( February 25, 2010). architecture. 02/07/2019,
de the Canadian encyclopedia
indigenous architecture continues to be practised, and embraces both
traditional and contemporary materials and forms.” (by Geoffrey Simians)” It
was then that the Europeans arrived to Canada, the English and French, they
took over the land and brought a mix of different styles, according to Geoffrey
Simians thereafter, until well into the 19th century, we continue to categorize
Canadian architecture with reference to its cultural origins in either French or
English Canada. During the French regime, from 1608 to 1759, many
significant stone buildings were erected, for ecclesiastical, public and military
purposes. French military fortification and urban planning traditions were
imported. Royal architects from France ensured that a high level of
craftsmanship and planning was maintained. The fort of Louisburg (destroyed
1758 and rebuilt from the 1960s) is the most significant example of French
military planning in north America.
While the search for a Canadian style in architecture is ongoing, it is generally
recognized that regional differences will contribute to a diversification of
architectural expression, rather than a single dominant national idiom.
Canadian architecture will thus become as diverse as the rest of Canadian
geography and society.”
At the moment Canada builds the houses usually with wood and drywall, and
the buildings with concrete bricks for the exterior and drywall for the interior.
Architecture in México
At the beginning, Mexico was inhabited by many cultures but the most
important two that governed it were the Azteca & Mayans, the first one was
located where now a day is Mexico City.
The empire of the Azteca was above a lake, the houses were frequently made
of stone, mud and wood, they were surrounded also by canals with fresh water
where they used "trajineras" something similar as a boat as a way of
transporting.
Mayans were located at the south of the country where the condition of the
environment and the natural recourses, provoke a different type of
architecture, because the weather in the south of Mexico is tropical and
needed a different shape, but in essence it used the same materials stone, mud
and wood.
After 1521 when the Spanish conquered Mexico, the city changed, as they
started used the canals with fresh water like an sewer system, then they
implemented the colonial style, also they covered most of the canals, to make
streets, by now a day Mexico City conserves most of the colonial
architecture.2These days the houses in Mexico usually are made of bricks and
concrete.
Conclusion
The houses can be made of different materials, because they use what the
nature provide depending on the place, that’s the reason for the existence of
architecture, to analyze the shape, materials, position according of the sun,
kind of fauna, among others, that’s why the best material is that provided by
the area, is easy to transport and does not consume to much effort, to avoid
economic impacts on the construction.

REFERENCES
Geoffrey simians. (February 25, 2010). architecture. 02/07/2019, de the Canadian
encyclopedia web site:
https://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/architecture
BIBLIOGRAPHY
Christopher Hume, Eric Arthur, Stephen a. Otto. (1898-1982). Toronto, no means
city? Toronto buffalo London: national library of Canada cataloguing in
publication.
Geoffrey simians. (February 25, 2010). architecture. 02/07/2019, de the Canadian
encyclopedia web site:
https://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/architecture

2
Inspired by: Mexico City Architecture: History
Figure 1 CIUDAD DE TENOCHTITLAN

kelleghanbarry at gmail.com
Barry kelleghan. ¡
Figure 2 EXAMPLE OF WIGWAM ARCHITECTURE