One of the factors that has always influenced architecture is the local availability of materials. The material habitually used for rural buildings, are those deriving ultimately from the soil on which the buildings stand. Technological differences, though largely dependent on economic and social disparities, are also partly the result of differences in the materials employed.
Other aspects directly linked with climate are also the presence of arcades, porches, window dimensions and the ratio between surface and volume. In northern countries with typical cold weather, buildings are more compact than in areas with a milder climate.
The Alpine region possesses every variety of rural dwelling that could derive from the mingling of the different cultures -the Latin and the Germanic. In general, the wooden house with roof sloping towards the north represents an adaptation of the dwellings of the mountainous areas of Central Germany, while the brick house with roof sloping southwards belongs to the cultural sphere of the Roman world.