Software Architecture Is a Building - A Mental Model for Technical Decisions

Most architecture discussions devolve into abstract debates about microservices, monoliths, and database choices. After years of explaining these concepts to engineers and product leaders, I've found that thinking about software architecture like a physical building cuts through the noise and makes the tradeoffs viscerally clear.

This isn't just a teaching metaphor. It's a decision framework that surfaces why some changes cost weeks and others cost months, why certain tech debt compounds silently while other debt screams at you daily, and how to gauge the right amount of architectural runway to build.