I think, generally speaking, the final form something takes, and every intermediate stage in between, emerge from it's initial form. It is created, it interacts with the world as the world is, it is weathered and carved and shaped, but its final form always emerges from it's initial form. Even deliberate modifications to something emerge from it's initial form and retain clues, echoes and features from it.

How we architecture a system is very important in determining what the system becomes. Things get used when they're useful, and they get used for things they're useful for, deliberate or not. If we build a centralized system we should not be surprised when we find that it is being used as a lever to control people. They're useful for that. When we build a federated system we should not be surprised when it splinters into distinct systems. If we build a system of distinct, autonomous actors, we can have a very interesting chaotic interplay that emerges that, even if it doesn't work exactly as intended, is beautiful.

I'm a fan of the idea "don't bend, break." Build something with the form it needs to do exactly what you want. Don't worry about contingencies and adapting to future realities when building something. And if it doesn't work as intended, demolish it and move on, build something with what you learned from it's failure.