Contextual Architecture can be described as architecture that reflects the contextual qualities, details, and characteristics of a building’s surroundings. Context is a common theme in architecture. Designers rely on a building’s setting to fit it into the environment and not feel out of place. Contextual design is a design response to the building’s setting, by adapting and perceiving the existing elements to create something from a different perspective without overpowering the context.
Some examples for Architects who designed with the land are:
1.Peter Zumthor- Therme Vals
Peter Zumthor designed Theme Vals on the only thermal springs in Graubünden Canton. The cave or quarry-like structure respects the mountains in which the building is situated. The material also reflects the context, and the walls are made of layers of locally sourced Valser Quartzite slabs, which is the inspiration for the design.
The spatial planning is done as if the user is walking through the woods, meandering through circulations, views are denied or open up at some points. The design of this hotel and spa complex also explores the benefits of traditional bathing, working with traditional elements like stone. water, light, and darkness that flatter human form. The large windows of the building frame the views of the Alps, flooding natural light to the interiors and establishing a connection with the surrounding landscape. Also, the strategic placement of these openings creates a dynamic environment at different times of the day, enhancing the spatial experience that responds to the natural light.

- Francis Kere-Gando Primary School.
Gando Primary School was Francis Kere’s first building, and the project had many parameters like cost, material, climate, and construction feasibility. This led him to a hybrid approach using clay, an abundantly available material in the region. The traditional clay building techniques were modernized for a structurally feasible structure using bricks. The bricks provided low-cost construction, were easily available, and also provided thermal insulation.

The houses of Burkina Faso had large tin roofs to protect the buildings from the rains, which made the interiors hot. The roof of the school thus used perforated clay ceilings to reduce the interior temperature. This brick ceiling pulled hot air outside and pulled cool air through the windows.

- Bernard Tschumi Architects – New Acropolis Museum
The new Acropolis museum, with 8000 sq m of exhibition space, tells the story of the Athenian Acropolis. The museum contains the archeological excavations on the site left intact beneath the building, and the building is constructed above these so that the ruins can be viewed from the first floor, respecting the context and artefacts. The base of the structure hovers over the excavation on more than 100 concrete pillars.

- The Stone Garden
The geopolitical conflicts and political tensions are deeply reflected in its contemporary cityscape. Stone garden stands beside a few remaining traditional tiled-roof houses and the identical concrete masses rising in Beirut’s cityscape. The building reflects a childhood lived during the Lebanese War. The tower takes the opportunity to appear as a symbol of healing amidst chaos on an urban scale. The windows in various scales hold the memories of Beirut and how nature finds a way to crawl back and heal amidst chaos.

- The Aga Khan Museum – Fumihiko Maki Architect
The Aga Khan Museum of Islamic arts and culture in Toronto, Canada. The Museum design interprets the traditional Islamic courtyard – The Charbaag with a master plan organizing two buildings around a formal garden. The rectilinear building responds to the context with its forty-five degree orientation to solar north, where all sides receive sunlight.

Contextual architecture celebrates the site conditions and surroundings, interprets them from a creative perspective to create celebrated architecture that respects the legacy of culture and geography.
Online sources:
Archdaily (2009). The Therme Vals / Peter Zumthor. [online] ArchDaily. Available at: https://www.archdaily.com/13358/the-therme-vals.
Olsen, M. (2021). What is Contextual Architecture? – Mountain Living. [online] Mountain Living. Available at: https://www.mountainliving.com/what-is-contextual-architecture/#&gid=1&pid=1 [Accessed 11 May 2025].
ArchDaily (2016). Primary School in Gando / Kéré Architecture. [online] ArchDaily. Available at: https://www.archdaily.com/785955/primary-school-in-gando-kere-architecture.
ArchDaily. (2010). New Acropolis Museum / Bernard Tschumi Architects. [online] Available at: https://www.archdaily.com/61898/new-acropolis-museum-bernard-tschumi-architects.
ArchDaily. (2020). Stone Garden Apartment Building / Lina Ghotmeh Architecture. [online] Available at: https://www.archdaily.com/950128/stone-garden-apartment-building-lina-ghotmeh-architecture.
Lina Ghotmeh — Architecture. (2011). Lina Ghotmeh — Architecture | ‘Stone Garden’ Housing – Beirut. [online] Available at: https://www.linaghotmeh.com/en/stone-garden-el-khoury-foundation.html.
4. Images/visual mediums
ArchDaily (2016). Primary School in Gando / Kéré Architecture. [online] ArchDaily. Available at: https://www.archdaily.com/785955/primary-school-in-gando-kere-architecture.
Archdaily (2009). The Therme Vals / Peter Zumthor. [online] ArchDaily. Available at: https://www.archdaily.com/13358/the-therme-vals.
ArchDaily. (2010). New Acropolis Museum / Bernard Tschumi Architects. [online] Available at: https://www.archdaily.com/61898/new-acropolis-museum-bernard-tschumi-architects.
Lina Ghotmeh — Architecture. (2011). Lina Ghotmeh — Architecture | ‘Stone Garden’ Housing – Beirut. [online] Available at: https://www.linaghotmeh.com/en/stone-garden-el-khoury-foundation.html.