I think idea that other engineering disciplines don't make use of reuse is wrong. Even when designing buildings/machines you still have components that are used by many other projects. For example, do you design you own screws? Engines? Doors or windows? Of course not. Those are often designed by different people who then use them in different product. And they are quite often standardised, which promotes even more reuse.

I think the problem likes in complexity. You simply cannot compare complexity of even most complex buildings to complex software. It is generally accepted idea, that software complexity is what makes it hard to approach from engineering side. The moment you have process in place, that allows you to create software of acceptable quality, you find you the complexity of software you need to create jumps in order of magnitude. So the process cannot be used. So if we had to repeat some part of software multiple times, until we are satisfied with the result, we would never finish that software.

That is why clean code is promoted. Ability to change past code based on new experiences can be said to be form of design reuse. So instead of creating different software multiple times, we refactor and refine single piece of software by reusing new experiences and design on old problems. All while trying to make software do the same thing.

I think the idea that other engineering disciplines don't make use of reuse is wrong. Even when designing buildings/machines you still have components that are used by many other projects. For example, do you design you own screws? Engines? Doors or windows? Of course not. Those are often designed by different people who then use them in different product. And they are quite often standardised, which promotes even more reuse.

I think the problem likes in complexity. You simply cannot compare complexity of even the most complex buildings to complex software. It is a generally accepted idea that software complexity is what makes it hard to approach from the engineering side. The moment you have a process in place that allows you to create software of acceptable quality, you find that the complexity of software you need to create jumps in order of magnitude. So the process cannot be used. So if we had to repeat some part of software multiple times until we are satisfied with the result, we would never finish that software.

That is why clean code is promoted. Ability to change past code based on new experiences can be said to be form of design reuse. So instead of creating different software multiple times, we refactor and refine single piece of software by reusing new experiences and design on old problems. All while trying to make software do the same thing.