The research is the result of an agreement between the Calabria Region, the Mediterranean University and UNICAL, in order to define design strategies and new social housing policies according to the paradigm of sustainable development, within its environmental, economic and social aspects. The Scientific Partnership has been developed, based on their respective competences and experiences, identifying topics on which to set the future housing interventions in Calabria. In the context of the P.A.R.C.O. Project (Politiche Abitative Regione Calabria Observatory), the assessment of sustainability of buildings has been experimented adopting the Protocol proposed by the Institute for Innovation and Transparency of Procurement and Environmental Compatibility (ITACA). ITACA Protocol has been implemented on the regional scale and applied in regional tenders and private investments, allowing to sustainable houses and schools, with a reduced environmental impact.

The present contribution aim to explore the assessment of “Indoor Environmental Quality” as a field of investigation of the ITACA Protocol. The issue is addressed investigating how to define and control the physical parameters related to the needs of users, according to: the existential conditions and physical, mental and social well-being: the provision of a certain level of indoor comfort of the building; the study and verification of the architectural - formal, technical and structural - aspects.