Research direction: Physical environments of urban–rural settlements and buildings; age-friendly living environments

Zhe Kong is an Associate Professor and Master’s Supervisor, and serves as a member of the Indoor Environment Committee of the China Illuminating Engineering Society (CIES).

Associate Professor Kong has been engaged in research on healthy living environments for more than a decade. Drawing on interdisciplinary approaches from urban design, architectural design, building physics, and human factors/ergonomics, her research investigates user responses to physical environmental conditions in urban–rural and building settings. Grounded in residents’ health, her work develops multidimensional evaluation frameworks and predictive models that address users’ psychological and physiological needs. She also explores methodological innovations in field measurement and simulation of indoor and outdoor physical environments, providing scientific support for the design optimization of urban–rural and architectural physical environments.

She has led one Young Scientists Fund project of the National Natural Science Foundation of China (NSFC) and one sub-project under the National Key R&D Program of China, and has participated in three NSFC General Program projects. She has contributed to Building Physics, 4th edition, and has published more than 30 papers in major domestic and international academic journals and conferences. She also holds three invention patents.

Research Interests

Professor Kong’s research focuses on the effects of physical environments in urban–rural settlements and buildings on users. From the perspective of healthy human settlements, her work examines how physical environmental stimuli affect human physiological and psychological responses. Specific research topics include, but are not limited to, the following areas:

1. Physiological and psychological effects of physical environmental stimuli
Using subjective questionnaires and physiological data, this research investigates the mechanisms through which short-term or long-term exposure to physical environmental stimuli affects users, and develops quantitative models linking environmental stimuli with human responses. Research settings include rural outdoor spaces, urban outdoor spaces, and indoor building environments.

2. Ageing and age-friendly environmental design
Based on the physiological and psychological needs of older adults, including both independent and care-dependent older adults, this research explores environmental quality and design strategies for indoor and outdoor spaces.

Courses Taught

Architectural Design Fundamentals

Building Physics

Building Technology and Design

Graduate Admissions

Professor Kong recruits 2–3 master’s students each year in Architecture — Building Technology. The physical environment of urban–rural settlements and buildings is a highly interdisciplinary field with strong technical demands. Students with backgrounds in physics, optics, architecture, and related disciplines are welcome to apply.

Representative publications as first author or corresponding author

[1] Kong, Zhe*; Hong, Wenjin; Zhang, Yiran; Kong, Xingqi; Yang, Liuqing; Xiang, Changying; Analysis of and Control Policies for Obtrusive Light from Commercial Signboards in Nanjing; LEUKOS, 2026, 1-21

[2] Kong, Zhe*; Zhang, Yiran; Hong, Wenjin; Si, Binghui; Evaluations of nighttime lighting environments in commercial areas: a field study in Xinjiekou, Nanjing; Building and Environment, 2026, 289: 114039

[3] Hong, Wenjin; Kong, Zhe*, Tang, Peng, Fan, Ziqi, Duan Rui, He Zixuan, Li Xintong, Wu Xinyi; Predicting Pedestrian-Level Melanopic Illuminance from Multi-Source Urban Data with Explainable Machine Learning; Building and Environment; 2026, 291: 114276

[4] Kong, Zhe*; Fu, Yue; Jakubiec, J Alstan; Tian, Zhen; Using data matching to compare subjective assessments of daylighting environments between Singapore and Nanjing; Indoor and Built Environment, 2024, 33(1): 112-130

[5] Kong, Zhe*; Zhang, Ruyan; Ni, Jinghao; Ning, Pengxuan; Kong, Xingqi; Wang, Jiayue; Towards an integration of visual comfort and lighting impression: A field study within higher educational buildings; Building and Environment, 2022, 216: 108989

[6] Kong, Zhe*; Liu, Qilin; Li, Xiang; Hou, Keming; Xing, Qianru; Indoor lighting effects on subjective impressions and mood states: A critical review; Building and Environment, 2022, 224: 109591

[7] Kong, Zhe*; Jakubiec, J. Alstan; Evaluations of long-term lighting qualities for computer labs in Singapore; Building and Environment,  2021, 194: 107689

[8] Kong, Zhe*; Jakubiec, J. Alstan; Instantaneous lighting quality within higher educational classrooms in Singap*ore; Frontiers of Architectural Research, 2021, 10(4): 787-802

[9] Kong, Zhe*; Utzinger, D. Michael; Humann, Christian; Evaluation of a hybrid photo-radiometer sky model compared with the Perez sky model; Energy and Buildings, 2018, 178: 318-330

[10] Kong, Zhe*; Utzinger, D. Michael; Freihoefer, Kara; Steege, Troy; The impact of interior design on visual discomfort reduction: A field study integrating lighting environments with POE survey; Building and Environment, 2018, 138: 135-148