The main objectives of the course are:
1. to provide the main notions on the physical environment, its interaction with the human being (thermal, acoustic, luminous comfort and air quality), its monitoring;
2. to provide the tools to understand and evaluate the impacts that different environmental conditions have on humans in order to improve the perceived global environmental quality inside and outside buildings and prevent human exposure to conditions that are not comfortable and harmful to health.

EXPECTED LEARNING OUTCOMES
At the end of the course, the student will be able to:
• Understand the fundamentals of the physical environment. Students will acquire in-depth knowledge about the thermal environment, the sound environment, the light environment and the chemical environment (air quality).
• Know the main regulatory references issued at European and international levels regarding the characterization and technical evaluation of thermal, luminous and sound and chemical environments.
• Know and be able to apply environmental monitoring techniques. Students will learn the operating principles of the instruments and the methodologies necessary to monitor the physical environment inside and outside buildings, including techniques for measuring temperature, humidity, air quality and noise.
• Know the main theories and models for evaluating environmental impacts on human well-being. Students will learn the principles, theories and models used to evaluate the impacts that different environmental conditions can have on human health and comfort, considering aspects such as thermal, visual, and acoustic well-being and adequate quality of air.
• Identify risk factors for human health and well-being. Students will be able to identify and analyse risk and discomfort factors associated with environmental conditions that are not comfortable or harmful to human health, such as overheating, exposure to pollutants or excessive noise that can occur in the workplace.
• Propose solutions (technical and non-technical) to improve the overall environmental quality perceived inside and outside buildings. Students will develop skills to propose proactive and innovative solutions to improve global environmental quality inside and outside buildings, for example through optimizing the operation of environmental control systems, mitigating sensitivity or exposure to critical environmental factors, and the design of healthy spaces.
Promote prevention of exposure to harmful conditions. Students will be able to design and implement effective strategies to prevent human exposure to environmental conditions harmful to health, thus contributing to creating more pleasant, comfortable and healthy environments for people.