Definition
Mechanistic evidence plus consistent epidemiological data. The mechanism is understood and the population-level findings agree.
In practice
We will design and build to it as a requirement, and we will state it plainly.
The standard
The Sage Co. Standard
The Sage Co. Standard is two things: a fixed set of nine building-science domains that every project is designed and built against, and a three-level evidence grade attached to every health-adjacent claim we make. The domains do not change from house to house. The grades tell you exactly how much weight a claim can carry.
Last reviewed August 29, 2026.
What the grades mean
Every claim on this site and in every project document carries one of three grades. The grade is part of the claim, not a footnote to it.
Definition
A plausible mechanism with growing but incomplete evidence. The direction of the findings is consistent enough to act on; the magnitude is not settled.
In practice
We will offer it as an option, disclose the uncertainty in writing, and never present it as settled.
Definition
Theoretical or preliminary only. There may be a hypothesis or isolated results, but no body of evidence behind it.
In practice
We will say so. We do not sell an Unverified measure as a benefit, and we do not build a scope around one.
A fixed rule about EMF
The EMF domain is graded [EMERGING]Emerging everywhere it appears, without exception. We will discuss it, measure it, and design around it on request, and we will always disclose that the evidence is incomplete.
The nine domains
Nine domains, fixed. Nothing is added to fit a project and nothing is renamed to fit a product. Each has its own page with the reasoning, the sources, and the grade.
- Domain 1[ESTABLISHED]Established
Building Science
Air, heat, and moisture control designed as one assembly, in the direction Central Texas actually drives them.
- Domain 2[ESTABLISHED]Established
Indoor Air Quality
Source control first, then designed ventilation, then filtration — specified and measured, not assumed.
- Domain 3[ESTABLISHED]Established
Moisture & Mold
Keep water out, keep surfaces above condensing conditions, and dry what gets wet before it is covered.
- Domain 4[EMERGING]Emerging
Materials & Toxicology
What a product emits and discloses decides whether it can be specified — verified before it enters the catalog.
- Domain 5[ESTABLISHED]Established
Water Quality
Test the actual source, then choose treatment and plumbing materials to match the result.
- Domain 6[EMERGING]Emerging
Light & Circadian Rhythm
Daylight access and glare control first; electric lighting specified for spectrum, control, and dimming behavior.
- Domain 7[ESTABLISHED]Established
Thermal Comfort
Comfort is surface temperature, air movement, and humidity together — not a number on a thermostat.
- Domain 8[ESTABLISHED]Established
Acoustics
Exterior noise, assembly ratings, and mechanical sound treated as design inputs before framing, not after.
- Domain 9[EMERGING]Emerging
EMF
Wiring practice, device placement, and measurement — documented honestly, with the uncertainty stated.
How the standard is enforced
Catalog-first. Every material and assembly is specified from the Approved Materials Catalog. Catalog entries are versioned and never overwritten, so the house is always traceable to the exact version it was built against.
Requirements, not diagnoses. We record building requirements — what the house has to do. We do not record, ask about, or infer anyone's health conditions, anywhere in the platform.
Independent verification. It is offered on every build as an optional paid add-on and elected by the client. Specified and installed are internal states; independently verified is not. See how verification works.
Failures are preserved. A failed test stays in the record alongside the retest. Nothing is overwritten, and the whole history ships with the house in the The Sage Co. Record.
Rendering — representative of Sage Co. design intent, not a completed project.