Contextual Integration (Contextualism) is an approach to architecture that prioritises harmony with the existing built environment — matching scales, materials, rhythms, and sight lines rather than imposing an autonomous form. The movement emerged in the 1970s–80s as a corrective to Modernist urbanism, which had treated each building as a self-sufficient object regardless of its neighbours.
Contextual buildings defer to their surroundings without resorting to pastiche. David Chipperfield's work on Berlin's Museum Island, Álvaro Siza's interventions in Porto, and Renzo Piano's additions to historic institutions demonstrate how contemporary architecture can be both of its time and respectful of place.
