The issue of identity and locality has always occupied Muslim communities and traditional societies. Identity became a challenge in light of the ongoing globalising processes. The Aga Khan Award for Architecture has recognised a wide range of projects that were aimed to reach a balance between traditional, vernacular, and global aspirations. This chapter covers key aspects of twelve projects identified to articulate contextual discussion, and the need for and objectives of each. These projects are ingenious because they establish both explicit and metaphorical links between the past and the present. Some of these celebrated cases cultivated the blend of traditional environments with advanced technology in the construction systems, whereas others focused on environmental rootedness while communicating with the global community through presenting images that relate to their contexts. Others achieved synthesis between the traditional and the modern and profoundly translated cultural and traditional symbols into contemporary forms. Collectively, they achieved excellence through imaginative designs that strive to transform cultural aspirations into a manifestation. Most importantly, they represent architectural and urban responses of the various ways in which forces of modernity can be appreciated, accommodated, and assimilated into specific contexts.