The reason is simple: Americans build what is attractive in the short term, big floor plans, lots of features, the latest technology. The long term durability,

The reason is simple: Americans build what is attractive in the short term, big floor plans, lots of features, the latest technology. The long term durability, beyond say 50-60 years, isn't a concern. They plan to rebuild or rennovate (upgrade) with the latest technology by that time anyway. For commercial buildings this makes even more sense, because Americans expect their needs to grow by orders of magnitude. There are exceptions to this rule, of course. But having spent a lot of time in both Europe and the US, I've noticed that many buildings in Europe are built with brick and stone and are hundreds of years old. In the US, everything is built with wood and metal, and it's rare to find a building that stays around for more than 100 years, or was even intended to. For me the best illustration of this difference is European cathedrals which are built to last centuries or maybe even millennia, compared to American megachurches which are essentially temporary warehouse structures, decorated with fancy lights and smoke, that will be replaced in less than 50 years. There are advantages to each approach.