Beyond the Building:
Jianchuan Tan, Pacific Northwest National Laboratory and Shengliang “Daniel” Rong, Delos Living LLC
Virtual
ThursdayApril 9, 2026
11:30 am - 12:30 pm ET
Credits LU | Elective TBD
Intermediate
Healthy lighting has long been discussed, but often within the walls of individual buildings. This presentation introduces a spatial, data-driven approach using Geographic Information Systems (GIS) to assess the broader public health implications of LED lighting aligned with the WELL Building Standard. By layering open datasets on light pollution, sleep insufficiency, demographics, and lighting infrastructure, we reveal spatial disparities in light exposure and wellness conditions across communities. This methodology highlights where circadian-friendly, low-glare lighting could deliver the greatest health and equity benefits. Attendees will gain a replicable analytical framework to advance evidence-based, health-oriented lighting strategies at the community scale.
Basic knowledge of GIS tools, LED lighting principles, and WELL Building Standard concepts recommended.
Learning Objectives
- Analyze spatial disparities in nighttime light exposure using GIS tools and public health datasets
- Interpret relationships between circadian-friendly lighting, WELL standards, and community-level wellness indicators
- Apply a replicable GIS framework to assess outdoor LED lighting impacts beyond individual buildings
- Evaluate opportunities for using data layers—such as light pollution and sleep insufficiency—to inform health-centered lighting decisions
Speakers
Jianchuan Tan
System Engineer / Lighting Scientist
Pacific Northwest National Laboratory
Jianchuan Tan (JT) joined PNNL as a Systems Engineer and Lighting Scientist in 2021 and works in the Building Science Group. He is a Ph.D. from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, with areas of expertise in Lighting and Architectural Science. He is a PMP, LC, WELL AP, and Microsoft Power BI data analyst. Before joining PNNL, he worked on R&D, product management, and applications engineering for LED lighting products.
His current works are mainly on lighting research, human factor studies, building energy upgrades, online tool developments, and geospatial data modeling and analytics. In 2024, he proposed a new metric for Phantom Array Effect in Temporal Light Modulation (TLM), which was published on Lighting Research and Technology. He also has solid experience in implementations of energy-efficient systems on the IoT platforms.
Shengliang “Daniel” Rong
Director of Building Science
Delos Living LLC
Shengliang Rong serves as the Director of Building Science at Delos Living LLC, a leader in global wellness and the founder of the WELL Building Standard. With over a decade of expertise in healthy building, he specializes in lighting and computational design as a WELL Accredited Professional and has consulted on numerous WELL-certified projects. He is a prolific contributor to the field, with publications in peer-reviewed journals and major trade magazines on circadian lighting design and application. Mr. Rong is also a recognized speaker at industry conferences, where he shares his knowledge and innovations in healthy building technologies.