A working vocabulary for the discipline. Updated as the literature matures and as the practice settles into a stable language. Send corrections to [email protected].
Architecture
MAVI 129™, A framework that organises the longevity architecture discipline into ten domains and one hundred and twenty-nine measurable factors. Each factor is sourced; each domain is operationalised.
Blueprint, A sourced, cited, room-by-room longevity specification for a residence. Delivered as a web view and a PDF, including a citation register, a remediation register, and a schedule of recommended substitutions.
Snapshot, A free environmental assessment of a residence based on its address. Generated in seven minutes from eight live environmental APIs covering air, water, light, noise, EMF, microbiology, structural-risk, and solar geometry for the location.
Air
HEPA-13, High-efficiency particulate air filter rated to capture ≥99.95% of particles ≥0.3μm. The minimum specification for any filtration that touches a bedroom or wellness suite.
Mel-EDI, Melanopic-equivalent daylight illuminance. The biologically meaningful measurement of light at the eye for circadian-rhythm purposes. See Light.
PFAS, Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances. A class of synthetic chemicals used in stain-resistant treatments, non-stick coatings, and water-repellent textiles. Bioaccumulative, persistent, and increasingly regulated. Avoid in soft furnishings and water lines.
VOCs, Volatile organic compounds. Off-gassed from finishes, adhesives, soft furnishings, and substrates over a curve from one to five years post-installation. Specify in g/L for finishes and in micrograms-per-cubic-metre for ambient measurement.
Water
TDS, Total dissolved solids. A baseline measurement of mineral content in supply water. Useful for selecting filtration architecture but not a complete picture; chemistry-specific testing required for PFAS, lead, fluoride, and pharmaceutical residue.
Reverse osmosis, A multi-stage filtration architecture that removes most dissolved solids, including PFAS, fluoride, lead, and pharmaceutical residue. Best paired with a remineralisation cartridge to restore beneficial calcium and magnesium content.
Light
mEDI, Melanopic equivalent daylight illuminance, measured at the eye. Roughly: noon sunlight = 10,000+ mEDI lux; warm interior lighting in the evening = 5–50 mEDI lux. The body uses mEDI as the dominant signal of what time it is. Specify per room, per time of day.
CCT, Correlated colour temperature. The visible warmth or coolness of a light source. Specify 2700K for evening, 4000–5000K for noon, 6000K+ for morning circadian wake.
CRI, Colour rendering index. A measurement of how accurately a light source renders colour. CRI ≥90 is the minimum for any luxury residential application. CRI 95+ is the standard for the artwork-bearing rooms.
Sound
NR / NC, Noise rating / Noise criterion. Curves that describe ambient noise across the full frequency spectrum at a listening position. Lower is quieter. Aim for NR-22 to NR-25 in bedrooms.
STC / Rw, Sound transmission class (US) / Weighted sound reduction index (EU). The acoustic performance of a wall, floor, or door assembly between rooms. Aim for STC-55 / Rw-55 between bedrooms and any noise-source room.
T60, Reverberation time. The time, in seconds, for a sound to decay by 60dB. Aim for under 0.6 seconds in living rooms, under 0.4 seconds in bedrooms, under 0.5 seconds in dining rooms.
Temperature
Setpoint, The target temperature held by the HVAC system. For bedrooms, specify 18°C from lights-out to wake; 19°C from wake to lights-out.
Radiant cooling, Heat dissipation via cooled surfaces (in-slab piping, cooled ceiling panels) rather than forced air. The luxury default for bedrooms; quieter, drier, and more comfortable than forced-air cooling.
Thermal mass, The capacity of a building’s structural elements (concrete, masonry, stone) to absorb and release heat. Higher mass produces more stable interior temperatures across the day.
Materials
GREENGUARD Gold, A certification for low-VOC and low-formaldehyde emissions from interior products. The minimum specification for any finish, adhesive, or substrate in a MAVI residence.
AgBB, The German Federal Environment Agency’s evaluation scheme for emissions from indoor materials. Stricter than US standards on certain compounds. A useful additional certification.
FSC certified, Forest Stewardship Council certification for sustainably sourced timber. Required for all timber substrates and finishes in a MAVI residence; pairs with chemistry standards above.
Microbiology
Microbiome, The community of bacteria, fungi, and archaea inhabiting a surface or environment. Specify diversity and abundance, not absence. The wellness suite microbiome is a deliberate parameter, not an oversight.
Biofilm, Aggregations of microbial cells on a wet surface. Useful in some contexts (constructed wetlands, biofiltration); problematic in others (HVAC condensate trays, spa lines). Manage with design, not chemistry.
Technology / EMF
Microtesla (μT), A unit of magnetic flux density. Specify ≤0.2μT at sleeping height in bedrooms. Above 0.4μT is a likely wiring fault and is correctable.
Dirty electricity, High-frequency harmonics on the residential power lines, generated by switched-mode power supplies and certain LED drivers. Mitigate by using linear-mode or filtered power supplies for bedside electronics.
SAR, Specific absorption rate. The rate at which RF energy is absorbed by the body. Specify mobile phones and wearables in low-SAR mode for sleep environments.
Mind
Sympathetic / Parasympathetic, The two branches of the autonomic nervous system. Sympathetic = activated, alert, threat-evaluation. Parasympathetic = resting, digesting, recovering. A correctly designed residence keeps the body parasympathetic by default.
View-cone, The visual field from a primary sitting or standing position. The discipline of biophilic design works at the level of the cone, not at the level of the room.
Prospect-refuge, The hard-wired preference for environments that combine prospect (a long view, an open vector) with refuge (a defended back, a sheltered point of observation). Useful as a spatial-design heuristic.
Habits
Anchor, A spatial cue that triggers a habitual action (e.g. a meditation cushion in a doorway, a kettle on a countertop, a yoga mat by the bed). A correctly designed residence intentionally places anchors for the habits the resident is trying to encode.
Friction, The number of decisions or actions required to perform a habit. A correctly designed residence reduces friction for healthy defaults and increases friction for unhealthy ones.
Default, The action most likely to be taken without conscious decision. The deepest leverage in habit design is in setting the default, what the body does without thinking, through the spatial arrangement of the home.
A note on revision
This glossary is incomplete and will remain so. The discipline is young; the literature is moving; the practice is settling. We will keep this document under continuous revision and will note material changes in subsequent essays.