Contextual architecture, also known as Contextualism is a philosophical approach in architectural theory that refers to the designing of a structure in response to the literal and abstract characteristics of the environment in which it is built. Contextual architecture contrasts modernist architecture, which value the imposition of their own characteristics and values upon the built environment. Contextual architecture is usually divided into three categories: vernacular architecture, , and critical regionalism all of which also inform the complementary architecture movement.