Ah, good old Bucky Fuller. Went to see one of his lectures in college. The geodesic dome. Not surprised to see it was a fad and not a trend.
The biggest lesson I learned from that talk was after his slide carousel dropped on the floor, extending the lecture time by half an hour as he scrambled to put them back in some order. Never trust slides or projectors when making a big presentation!
I think Jack Nicklaus had it in his early contracts he could go back and make changes, of course at Owner's expense, and probably intended to further implement the 'grand master's vision" as opposed to really learning how the design worked for its end users, a more humble and educational way for a designer to evaluate their work.
I do recall that the Chicago Park District let new landscape architects go nuts on designing their first playground project. But then, they made them go out and sit and watch it being used periodically for a year. An LA friend of mine who took that job said he really learned how to design after that. Forget the pretty pictures, worry about placing viewing benches for parents that didn't face the west sun, always have a clear view line for parents, etc. And make sure there aren't any hidden corners where evil people might be able to lurk.
I like the film's mention of rules of thumb, which only change slowly. That happens in gca as well. While many here call it standardization and formula, its most often something that has worked for 50 years or more, so why reinvent the wheel, at least for artistic reasons. Round wheels still work best, water flows down hill, etc. Every so often someone should and will challenge conventional wisdom - and I suspect its often the manufacturers of irrigation, drainage, seed, etc., that make those changes happen as design evolves with technology.