In Mexico City, an author residential architect does not offer a style — it offers a method. At MÉTODO, every house begins with a site reading, a section sketch, and a matrix of options before a single wall is placed.
The portfolio of author residential homes we have built in this city reflects that sequence. Each project is specific to its lot, its orientation, its owners. What repeats is not the aesthetic but the process.
What "Author Residential" Actually Means
The word "author" in architecture carries precision. It describes a practice where the architect maintains conceptual responsibility across every scale — from the urban setback to the door handle profile.
In Mexico City, where the construction ecosystem is dense and contractors are often given generic drawings to interpret freely, author architecture requires a different engagement model. We stay close to the build. The options matrix — a structured comparison of spatial and material alternatives presented before any decision is locked — keeps the client inside the reasoning, not just the result.
This is process before style.
The Four-Project-a-Year Rule
We take four residential projects per year. Not as marketing, but as a technical constraint. Author architecture demands the lead architect be present at:
- The first site survey and light analysis
- Every structural decision that affects the section
- Material selection and mockup review
- At least three site visits per month during construction
- The final punch list alongside the client
That presence cannot be replicated by delegation. Four projects per year is the maximum that allows it.
Mexico City as a Design Site
The city offers conditions that few other contexts match. Altitude — 2,240 meters — produces a specific light quality: intense, high-angle sun in summer, low raking light in winter. Volcanic rock outcrops in Pedregal and San Ángel create natural site anchors. The pre-Hispanic street grid in Coyoacán produces corner lots with double public frontage that reward sectional complexity.
Each of these conditions is a design resource, not a constraint to work around. The portfolio demonstrates how asoleamiento — the study of sun angles across the year — shapes every aperture decision we make.
What the Portfolio Shows
We document process, not just product. For each project, the portfolio includes:
- The initial section sketches that defined the spatial logic
- The options matrix as it was presented to the client
- Material mockup photographs before final selection
- Construction details that resolved the gap between section and built form
This approach makes the portfolio useful for prospective clients who want to understand how decisions were made. The finished photographs come last, not first.
Materials That Appear Across the Work
Stone, wood, and concrete are not a style. They are materials that age with dignity — that carry time well, respond to light in legible ways, and do not require maintenance cycles to remain honest. These three materials appear across the residential portfolio because they perform well in Mexico City's climate and because they can be sourced and worked by local craftspeople at the level of precision our sections require.
Each project uses them differently. One house might feature volcanic basalt in the courtyard and white concrete walls inside. Another might use cedar planks as both ceiling and acoustic treatment. The logic is always specific to the section.
Próximos pasos
If you are considering an author residential project in Mexico City, the first step is a site conversation — not a design presentation. We want to understand the lot, the light, and what you are trying to resolve before we propose anything.
Conoce el método de MÉTODO to understand how the process unfolds from first meeting to final delivery.