The residential design process at MÉTODO begins with what most studios skip: a precise reading of the site and an honest diagnosis of the brief. Before a single line is drawn, we identify what the land is telling us and what the client actually needs—not what they think they want.
Step One: Site Analysis and Solar Orientation
In Mexico City, most residential lots face one of four conditions—urban infill, corner lots, sloped terrain in the hills, or compound subdivisions. Each demands a different entry point.
We start with asoleamiento: tracking sun angles across the day and across seasons for the specific coordinates of the site. In CDMX's climate—temperate, with distinct wet and dry seasons—solar orientation determines where a patio goes, which facades need protection, and how to cross-ventilate without mechanical systems.
This is not decorative. It is structural to the project. A living room that faces west without shading will be uncomfortable six months a year. A patio positioned to capture the morning sun extends habitable hours into the outdoor space. Climatic response is the first constraint we design with.
The Options Matrix: Deciding by Comparing
Once we understand the site, we build what we call the options matrix: a set of two to four spatial strategies laid out at the same scale, with the same program, evaluated against the same criteria.
The matrix of options is the tool that turns client decisions from guesses into comparisons. A client cannot choose between abstract descriptions. They can choose between two plans they can see side by side. We present organization strategies—patio as organizer versus linear sequence, section with mezzanine versus flat floor plate—not stylistic images.
At this stage, no material has been selected. No facade has been drawn. The question is spatial logic.
The Section as Narrative
Once a strategy is selected, we develop the section. In residential design, the plan tells you where things are. The section as narrative tells you how the house feels.
A double-height living room connected to a single-height service corridor creates hierarchy. A bedroom set half a level above the garden creates privacy without a wall. A skylight positioned at the apex of a pitched concrete ceiling transforms a utility space into something worth inhabiting.
In MÉTODO, section studies are not a late-stage refinement. They are the medium in which the design is made.
Material Selection: Stone, Wood, and Concrete
Material selection in author-driven residential architecture is not a finish schedule. It is an argument.
We work with stone, wood, and concrete—materials that age with dignity. This means local volcanic stone for floors and exterior walls, clear-finished concrete for structural expression, and natural wood for thresholds, doors, and ceilings where warmth is needed.
We specify materials by how they will look in twenty years, not how they photograph at handover. Honest materiality is the principle: the material does not pretend to be something else, and the detail reveals the joint rather than hiding it.
Construction Documents and Technical Coordination
In Mexico City, the permit process involves SEDUVI approvals, structural review, and coordination with delegación-level inspectors depending on the borough. We prepare complete construction documents: architectural, structural, hydraulic, electrical, and special systems.
We coordinate with structural engineers, lighting designers, and landscape architects as needed. The construction phase includes site visits and technical oversight. The architect's presence during construction is not optional—it is how the design survives the build.
What a Residential Project in CDMX Actually Takes
A typical custom residence in Mexico City—800 to 350 square meters, new construction on a defined urban lot—moves through these phases:
- Brief and site analysis: 4 to 6 weeks
- Options matrix and concept approval: 3 to 5 weeks
- Design development and section studies: 8 to 12 weeks
- Construction documents: 10 to 16 weeks
- Permits (CDMX): 6 to 14 weeks, depending on borough and project complexity
- Construction supervision: concurrent with build
Total design timeline before breaking ground: typically 10 to 18 months. This is not slow. This is what precision requires.
Próximos pasos
If you are planning a residential project in Mexico City, the process begins with a site visit and a structured conversation about how you actually live—not a mood board session. We take four projects per year; that limit is not a sales tactic, it is what allows us to work with the depth the process demands.
Conoce el método de MÉTODO to understand how we approach every project from first site visit to final detail.