[ISBN 0140105662]
This is a wonderful book by the architecture critic Witold Rybczynski that describes his attempts to build a boat house for his summer cottage. He built the boat house to support his dream to build a boat; his garage was too small. Memorable parts of the book include the hurried, primitive effort to build a foundation, and the implicit use of Feng Shui principles to orient the building. The boat house evolves into a house, and the boat is never built. That is, the building admirably serves an end to which the architect never aspired at the outset; the process offers practical insights into Piecemeal Growth.
-- Jim Coplien
Apropos Piecemeal Growth, the house picks up a new client (his wife), along with a new set of usability requirements, once Witold realizes that it wasn't really about building a boat after all, and the boat house should instead become a summer home.
If you've not yet had the pleasure of reading Witold Rybczynski, this is a wonderful starting point.
-- Dave Smith
See original on c2.com 