The matrix of options is a design decision method: deciding by comparing, not by guessing. It is the tool MÉTODO uses at the schematic design phase to convert a design exploration into a structured decision. The client is not asked to react to a single proposal. They are asked to evaluate the trade-offs between alternatives that have all been tested against the same criteria.
Why Single-Proposal Design Fails the Client
The standard design process delivers one scheme and asks whether the client wants to proceed. This is a weak method for several reasons.
The client cannot know whether a different organization of the same program would better serve their needs. They have no reference for the trade-off they are accepting. When problems emerge later — the living room is darker than expected; the stair location makes the second floor feel disconnected; the kitchen is too far from the service entrance — the client has no way to know whether an alternative scheme would have avoided those problems.
Single-proposal design also concentrates risk on the architect's initial judgment. If the first design move is wrong — if the organization misreads the client's priorities or misresponds to the site conditions — the entire design must be reversed. The cost of that reversal is borne late, after design investment has been made.
What the Matrix Contains
In MÉTODO, the matrix of options at schematic design phase contains two or three alternatives, each developed to the same resolution. The matrix is a document, not a presentation slide — it is something the client can study between meetings.
Each alternative includes:
Site plan. How the scheme uses the lot: setbacks, massing, relationship to street and neighbors, orientation.
Floor plan at primary level. The program organization — which rooms are adjacent, how they relate to the exterior, what the circulation path is.
Section through the main spatial sequence. The structural logic, ceiling heights, and the way light travels through the section at different hours. The section reveals what the plan conceals.
Material concept. The primary material strategy for floors, walls, and ceilings. Not a full finish schedule — a material direction that signals thermal strategy, maintenance profile, and budget.
Construction cost range. A realistic cost range based on program area, structural complexity, and material concept. Not a quantity survey — a calibrated estimate that lets the client understand the cost order of each scheme.
Trade-off summary. A clear statement of what each scheme does well and what it sacrifices. This is the most important section of the matrix: the explicit trade-off statement makes comparison possible.
The Criteria the Matrix Tests
Each option in the matrix is tested against the same criteria before it is included:
- Does it respond to the solar orientation and thermal strategy required by the site?
- Does it accommodate the client's program at the agreed areas and adjacencies?
- Is the structural system it implies buildable and cost-appropriate?
- Does it perform at the front of each primary space — meaning, does it work in section, not just in plan?
- Is it within a cost range the client can realistically consider?
An option that fails any of these criteria does not appear in the matrix. The matrix presents viable alternatives, not exploratory sketches.
How the Decision Works
The client receives the matrix before the decision meeting and is asked to read it independently. The meeting then focuses on clarifying the trade-offs, not on presenting the options — that work is done in the document.
In MÉTODO's experience, the client's selection after studying the matrix is significantly more stable than a selection made immediately after a presentation. When clients understand what they are choosing and what they are giving up, they are less likely to reverse the decision during design development.
The architect presents a recommendation alongside the matrix. This recommendation is based on the design evaluation criteria and the architect's reading of the client's priorities from the brief. The recommendation is argued, not asserted — the client should be able to understand the reasoning and either agree or override it with their own priority logic.
The Matrix in Renovation Projects
In renovation projects, the matrix is especially important because the existing structure limits the viable options more than a blank site does. A renovation matrix might compare:
- A scope-limited intervention that keeps the structural configuration and focuses on material quality.
- A moderate structural intervention that removes one or two bearing elements to change the spatial organization.
- An extensive intervention that adds area and restructures the circulation entirely.
Each scope has a different cost, a different construction time, and a different permit requirement. The matrix makes all of this visible in a single document. The client is not choosing between a renovation and no renovation — they are choosing between three defined versions of the renovation, each of which they understand.
Próximos Pasos
The matrix of options method is not a way to slow down design — it is a way to make the design decision count. A project that begins with a well-evaluated selection between viable alternatives rarely reverses direction during construction.
Conoce el método de MÉTODO to understand how the matrix shapes every design phase from site analysis through construction documents.