Contextual architecture

The Roman notion of genius loci, Renaissance decorum, and Beaux Arts tirer parti mirror modern definitions of contextualism.

[7] The 1920s development of Gestalt psychology, which investigated the ways in which independent parts could be combined to make a cohesive result, provided the intellectual foundation for the philosophy.

[7] Pushing back against the perceived failure of modernist buildings to adapt cohesively with their environments – in particular with cities' historic buildings, Rowe advocated for architecture that was designed with a focus on existing in continuity with the surrounding features of the built and natural environments.

Architectural pragmatist Rem Koolhaas' assertion "fuck context" served as an infamous rallying cry against contextualism.

[7] In 1988, while curating an exhibition on Deconstructivism at MoMA, architects Philip Johnson and Mark Wigley denounced the philosophy, stating "contextualism has been used as an excuse for mediocrity, for a dumb servility to the familiar.