Americans were confronted with an extraordinary image this week: the mostly demolished East Wing of the White House , torn down to add a 90,000-square-foot ballroom to the historic building, a pet project of President Donald Trump that has moved at breakneck speed and prompted widespread complaints.

A stark contrast to this pace can be found in the United States’ northern neighbour. Works to upgrade and modernize Canada’s Parliament buildings – first built more than a century ago – are underway in a process that may take some three decades, with initial plans approved in 2001 and the complex’s Centre Block not expected to be reopened until 2032.

HOK, the lead design architect for the Centre Block upgrade, has called the project – which has an overall estimated price tag of up to $3.6 b

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