The residential design process at MÉTODO follows a sequence where each phase produces specific information that the next phase requires. You cannot draw a plan before reading the section. You cannot select materials before understanding the section's light conditions. The process before the style.
This sequence is not bureaucratic. It is the reason the houses we build perform the way they do — climatically, spatially, and materially.
Phase One: Site Reading
Before a line is drawn, we spend time on the site. A site analysis covers:
- Sun angle mapping across the year at the site latitude (19 degrees north for Mexico City)
- Shadow cast from adjacent buildings at the winter and summer solstice
- Prevailing wind direction and cross-ventilation potential
- Existing trees and their canopy impact on light and solar access
- Street context: setbacks, cornice heights, heritage zone guidelines if applicable
- Subsoil type and seismic microzonation
This information is documented before any schematic design begins. It is the evidence base for every spatial decision that follows.
Phase Two: Section Before Plan
The section is the first design drawing. It shows the vertical relationship between floor levels, roof, and the sky — and it reveals how light moves through the house from morning to evening.
We draw the section at the same scale as the plan from the beginning. A section at 1:50 shows the height of each space, the position of every aperture, and the shadow that each element casts on the one below. The plan is derived from the section, not the other way around.
This reversal of conventional practice is the key to the sección como relato — the section as narrative. The section tells the story of the house: you enter at this height, compress through this corridor, open into this volume, look across to this courtyard. The plan supports that story; it does not create it.
Phase Three: The Options Matrix
Before any design direction is presented as fixed, we build the options matrix — a structured comparison of the spatial and material alternatives that are still open at the schematic stage.
The matrix typically covers:
- Three to four plan organization options with different courtyard, entry, and program relationships
- Two or three section strategies with different height and light distribution profiles
- Material options for primary surfaces, each with cost range and performance notes
The client receives this matrix before any option is recommended. We explain the implications of each choice — what it costs, what it produces spatially, what it requires structurally. The decision is theirs, made with information.
La matriz de opciones: decidir comparando, no adivinando.
Phase Four: Material Mockups
No material is confirmed in the construction documents without a physical mockup reviewed on site. This applies to:
- Concrete formwork — a test panel poured and released to confirm the surface quality before the structural pour
- Stone — sample panels installed in the actual light conditions of the intended location, reviewed at different times of day
- Wood species — full-size samples in the room where they will be installed, assessed for grain, color, and finish at the project's natural light level
Mockups are part of design development, not construction. They happen before the contractor is on site and before any finish work is priced. A mockup that reveals a problem is inexpensive to correct. A finish installed incorrectly across a full room is expensive to fix.
Phase Five: Construction Documents and Administration
Construction documents translate the design decisions into instructions that a contractor can price and build. In a MÉTODO project, the construction documents include:
- Architectural drawings at 1:50 with key details at 1:10 or 1:5
- Material specifications by surface, including installation method and quality standard
- Structural drawings and specifications by the structural engineer
- Electrical and mechanical schematics coordinated with the architectural section
Construction administration follows: site visits, drawing review, submittal responses, and payment application review. We maintain presence through the punch list.
Why the Sequence Matters
Each phase depends on the previous one. A material selection made without site analysis will produce materials in the wrong orientation. A plan drawn without a section will fail to distribute light through the house. Construction begun without reviewed mockups will produce surfaces that do not match the design intent.
The sequence is the methodology. It is what an author architecture practice means in practice.
Próximos pasos
If you want to understand how MÉTODO's design process would apply to your specific site in Mexico City — what information would be gathered, what decisions would be made, and in what sequence — the first step is a site visit.
Conoce el método de MÉTODO to see the full sequence from first site visit to construction completion.