93955 - Indoor Environmental Quality

Learning outcomes

By the end of the module, students will be able to explore in depth aspects of sustainability, environmental comfort, lighting design and acoustics in interior spaces, from the perspective of efficiency and economic and management rationality.

Course contents

The course belongs to the disciplinary field of Architectural Technology, which deals with the theories, tools and methods of environmental and technological design at the various scales, the dynamics of user requirements, performance aspects and the quality control of the built environment.

The module approaches interior design as a synthesis of technological and compositional culture, placing at its centre the interior space and the varying degrees of mediation between inside and outside. Environmental quality is addressed through its fundamental components — hygrothermal, visual, acoustic and respiratory-olfactory well-being — considered in relation to the building–services system and to the current regulatory and sustainability framework.

The privileged field of application remains the space of dwelling and, more broadly, the upgrading and conversion of the existing building stock, which represents one of the main professional fields for graduates in architecture. The module is not, however, confined to housing: spaces with different intended uses are also considered, so as to show how the principles of environmental quality are declined in different contexts.

Through the examination of traditional forms of dwelling, together with those developed during the twentieth century and in contemporary practice, the student is guided towards a mature understanding of the appropriateness and comfort of space. Particular attention is devoted to the relationship between technological innovation, constructive experimentation and the transformation of the ways of conceiving interior space.

The theoretical path is constantly related to the operational dimension of the project. To this end, throughout the course examples drawn from professional practice are presented across the various phases of the process (from the existing state and diagnosis through to the design, the construction site and the built outcome), so as to make evident how environmental-quality requirements guide design decisions and translate into concrete solutions.

The contents are developed by topic according to the four classes of environmental comfort (hygrothermal, visual, acoustic, respiratory-olfactory) and are applied in the design exercises (ex tempore) carried out in class, which form an integral part of the training activity and address, from time to time, the comfort theme dealt with in the lecture. No specific prerequisites are required beyond the design knowledge acquired in the previous years of the degree programme.

The close collaboration with the module of Interior Architecture (CEAR-09/C) establishes a unity of objectives, while valorising the specificity of the two contributions, the technological and the compositional.

Readings/Bibliography

References are distinguished into texts required for exam preparation, recommended texts and readings for optional further study.

Required texts

–Fabbri, K. (2025). Misurare l'aria. Il comfort. Mimesis.

–Tucci, F. (2018). Costruire e abitare green. Approcci, strategie, sperimentazioni per una progettazione tecnologica ambientale. Altralinea Edizioni.

Recommended texts

–Allen, E. (2017). Come funzionano gli edifici. L'ordine naturale dell'architettura. Dedalo.

–Bradshaw, V. (2010). The Building Environment: Active and Passive Control Systems. John Wiley & Sons.

–Zumthor, P. (2007). Atmosfere. Ambienti architettonici. Le cose che ci circondano. Mondadori Electa.

Further reading

–Baglione, C. & Pace, S. (eds.) (2023). Al femminile. L'architettura, le arti e la storia. Franco Angeli.

–Brandi, U. (2023). Light, Nature, Architecture: A Guide to Holistic Lighting Design. Birkhäuser.

–Brandi, U. (2006). Lighting Design: Principles, Implementation, Case Studies. De Gruyter.

–Itten, J. (2022). Arte del colore (abridged ed.). Il Saggiatore.

–Josifovic, I. & de Graaff, J. (2016). Urban Jungle: Living and Styling with Plants. Callwey Verlag.

–Rasmussen, S. E. (2006). Architettura come esperienza (Experiencing Architecture). Edizioni Pendragon.

–Tantillo, C., Scuderi, L. A., Gervasio, S. & Lo Re, M. (eds.) (2025). Donne e progetto. Figure dell'architettura e del design nell'Italia contemporanea. Quodlibet.

–Tornquist, J. (1999). Colore e luce. Teoria e pratica. Istituto del Colore.

 Further regulatory references and in-depth materials are indicated during the course and made available on the Virtuale platform.

Teaching methods

The course is mainly conducted through lectures, interspersed with in-class exercises in which students work individually or in groups, and seminar sessions dedicated to the discussion of topics and materials. Each day is organised into approximately three hours of lecture and three hours of ex-tempore design exercise, the content of which is defined from time to time.

The lectures aim to provide the basic and specific knowledge needed to approach interior design in a contemporary key, respectful of building sustainability requirements, and are conducted in direct interaction with students, fostering collective discussion. The course topics are constantly related to the Sustainable Development Goals of the United Nations 2030 Agenda, with particular reference to Goals 3 (good health and well-being), 7 (affordable and clean energy), 11 (sustainable cities and communities) and 13 (climate action).

The course also includes contributions from guests and professionals, aimed at comparing theoretical elaboration with concrete design and construction experience.

Assessment methods

The final examination covers the assessment of learning for the contents of both teaching units that make up the Integrated Course of Interior Architecture and, for attending students, takes place in a single joint examination.

The examination takes the form of an individual ex tempore design test, carried out on the basis of a case study, in which each student — drawing on the compositional and technological knowledge acquired during the course — demonstrates the degree of maturity reached in the ability to give form to a space. The test is carried out with the explanatory support of freehand drawing, accompanied by written annotations, and is aimed at verifying the knowledge acquired in the topics dealt with in the two modules, as well as the personal ability to elaborate them critically within an idea of formally and functionally organised space. Students must provide evidence of the working process by submitting initial drafts and by providing notes/concept maps/schemes and successive versions of the text/design.

The ex tempore design test lasts 4 hours. During the test the use of freehand drawing instruments is allowed. The use of technical manuals, standards and texts recommended by the course is permitted; the use of devices for the automated processing of the design is not allowed, unless otherwise indicated in the assignment.

The assessment of the joint ex tempore test, valid for both modules of the Integrated Course of Interior Architecture, considers the following criteria:

–Design quality and graphic/descriptive clarity of the submitted work (20% of the ex tempore assessment);

–Technological quality of the proposed solutions (30% of the ex tempore assessment);

–Consistency with the theoretical aspects set out in the modules of the course (50% of the ex tempore assessment).

Detailed specifications regarding methods and contents are provided in the final weeks of the course. As regards the assessment of learning, a limited, declared and non-substantial use of AI is permitted for support activities (summarising, rephrasing). Substantial use for carrying out parts of the test is not allowed.

For students who do not attend the module of Environmental Quality of Interiors (CEAR-08/C) and who have not carried out at least 2 of the related ex tempore tests scheduled during the year, the assessment of learning is supplemented by an oral test. In this case, therefore, the examination is composed of two parts: the joint design test with the module of Interior Architecture (CEAR-09/C) in the form of an ex tempore, described above, and a supplementary oral test in which the student is asked to demonstrate knowledge of the theoretical topics presented in the lectures of the Environmental Quality of Interiors module only. The oral test relates to the theoretical knowledge concerning the four classes of environmental comfort and the regulatory and sustainability framework dealt with in the module. The oral test has no predetermined duration and does not allow the use of aids.

The purpose of the oral test is to assess the student's ability to apply their body of knowledge and to make the necessary logical-deductive connections. The evaluation is graded according to the student's ability to present the expected knowledge.

Grading of the oral test:

–Preparation on a very limited number of the topics addressed in the course and analytical ability that emerges only with the teacher's help, expression in overall correct language → 18-20;

–Preparation on a limited number of the topics addressed in the course and independent analytical ability only on purely executive questions, expression in correct language → 21-25;

–Preparation on a wide range of the topics addressed in the course, ability to make autonomous choices of critical analysis, command of the specific terminology → 26-29;

–Substantially exhaustive preparation on the topics addressed in the course, ability to make autonomous choices of critical analysis and connection, full command of the specific terminology and capacity for argumentation and self-reflection → 30-30L (with honours).

Students with SLD (Specific Learning Disorders) or temporary or permanent disabilities are advised to contact the relevant University office in good time, at https://site.unibo.it/studenti-con-disabilita-e-dsa/it. The office will propose any necessary adaptations, which must in any case be submitted, 15 days in advance, for the lecturer's approval, who will assess their appropriateness also in relation to the course's learning objectives.

Teaching tools

Teaching is conducted through lectures with the presentation of slides covering all points of the programme. All slides, together with additional images and relevant scientific articles, are made available to students in PDF format via the Virtuale platform.

Office hours

See the website of Rossella Roversi