[eclecticfrank]

> And this is the biggest difference with architecture. Nobody starts building a house without knowing final design.

Many houses are actually built without knowing the final design, especially in informal settlements in the Global South.

It's referred to as incremental building or incremental urbanism. What starts as simple structure (e.g. a shack) will develop over time into different more formal types of housing. It's an approach to housing that works well with precarious financial means, shifting regulatory environments, uncertain land tenure, changing household size or the lack of building supplies.

[marcus_holmes]

Is there a single building on the planet that has survived contact with residents and not changed in some way?

The plan is never "final".

[greghendershott]

Also for example the imperial palace of the Habsburg dynasty: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hofburg

[HelloNurse]

There are design patterns for "incremental building", such as mounting pipes and wires on the surface of walls, ceilings and floors instead of burying them in concrete. Being able to reorganize a simple house easily is the "final design"; what point are you trying to make?

[citizen-stig]

Point is that software is much “softer” and fluid than buildings. If comparing changing wites ir rooms layout is similar what refactoring of software is like, then I am happy for experience you’ve had!

[skeeter2020]

...and if you extend the "building" phase to multiple generations or even centuries it's even more prevalent. You get a very organic & dynamic environment that many would say is a slum, but is an accurate representation of most of the software I've seen.

Maybe the guy who designed that church had a clear idea of what it would look like when finished, but i doesn't look like that today!

[xeonmc]

so the civil engineering counterpart of agile development?