Origins and Evolution

Reports of its first public workshop describe New Contextualism as a philosophy ‘coined by Mohammad Habib Reza’ that took shape at BRAC University over the course of a decade (BRAC University 2023; Arch-Bangla 2023a).

Intellectual Origins

In the founder’s own account, the approach grew from two sources. The first was practice. As an architect-planner for the Barisal City Corporation, working on area development projects such as the Bibir Pukur region and the Multipurpose City Market, he was confronted with the need to reconcile new interventions with existing urban fabric in a deltaic environment (Reza 2023c; Reza 2025). This, he writes, ‘wasn't merely about aesthetic compatibility; it was about understanding settlement patterns shaped by water, livelihoods intertwined with the landscape, and social structures reflected in spatial arrangements’ (Reza 2025).

The second was research. His doctoral study of the early Buddhist architecture of Bengal, at sites such as Mahasthangarh and Wari-Bateshwar, revealed buildings shaped by climate, local materials, ritual and social organisation (Reza 2025). The monasteries he studied, he writes, had layouts and details ‘intricately shaped by the local climate, materials, rituals and way of life’ (Reza 2023c).

The founder names a third influence alongside these two: ‘a critical engagement with global architectural discourse’ (Reza 2025). He places the approach within the discourse of contextualism and critical regionalism articulated by Robert Venturi, Charles Jencks and Kenneth Frampton, with ‘greater emphasis on sustainability and community-oriented design, as championed by Christopher Alexander, Jane Jacobs, Jan Gehl and Bjarke Ingels’ (Reza 2023c). These relationships are set out under Relationship to Other Theories.

Development of the Theory

The approach has been developed through teaching. ‘For over a decade,’ the founder wrote in 2023, ‘New Contextualism has been cultivated at BRAC University’, where he encourages students to undertake ‘a tenfold overlapping study of the broader context’ in his design studios (Reza 2023c). His 2025 biography refers to numerous undergraduate thesis studios on the philosophy (Reza and Nitu 2025).

Its public formulation can be followed through three essays. The 2023 essay sets out its principles and origins (Reza 2023c). The April 2025 essay defines the ten dimensions as a ‘tenfold matrix’ and presents the core tenets as ‘not rigid dogmas, but guiding principles for a more thoughtful and responsible design process’ (Reza 2025). The September 2025 essay adds five guiding principles, a ‘ten-layer lens’ and the sequence of Read, Plan and Process (Reza and Nitu 2025). How the principles differ between these texts is shown under Foundational Propositions and Key Principles.

The April 2025 essay also names a further stage. ‘Our ongoing work at BRAC University,’ the founder writes, ‘has led to the articulation of New Contextualism 2.0’, reflecting ‘a heightened urgency regarding global environmental challenges and a more explicit integration of contemporary sustainability frameworks’ (Reza 2025). A workshop on New Contextualism 2.0 had been held at BRAC University in February 2024 (Context BD 2024a; Arch-Bangla 2024c). Its four areas of emphasis are: