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Dr Yuri Abdul Hadi

Job: Senior Lecturer

Faculty: Arts, Design and Humanities

School/department: Leicester School of Architecture

Address: De Montfort University, The Gateway, Leicester, LE1 9BH

T: +44 (0)116 2078954

E: yuri.abdulhadi@dmu.ac.uk

W: https://www.dmu.ac.uk/lsa

Social Media: https://www.linkedin.com/in/yuri-hadi-429a7692/

 

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Personal profile

Dr Yuri Hadi is an experienced lecturer with a rich history of working in the higher education industry within the UK and Internationally. He is an Arts and Design Professional with a Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) focused in Tall Buildings & Urban Design from University of Nottingham. He is originally trained as an Architect from Universiti Teknologi Malaysia based in Johor Bharu, Malaysia. He has experience in practice and academia for more than 20 years. He is the founder of the States of Urbanicity (Unit 2) Group in MArch Part 2 (ARB/RIBA/LAM) for Year 5 and 4. States of Urbanicity is a Unit that explores the study and speculation of architecture in the many states of the urban condition focusing on the growth and decay of urban conditions. We focused on Conceptual Urbanism, an approach that is radical in attempting to shake off the assumption of what a city was, is or should be. Instead of denouncing the chaos and congestion of contemporary urban life, conceptual urbanism experiments out from disruption and disorder.

He does Publication and Curating of Works for the Leicester School of Architecture Yearbook and Exhibitions. He is the Leicester School of Architecture liaison for Partnership, Outreach, International Admission and Marketing.

Dr Yuri Hadi does research in Architectural and Urban Design, Tall Buildings and High-Rise Structures focusing on the Social Dimension that impacted its inhabitants. His recent collaborative works are focused in socially sustainable approach to urban regeneration and experimentations in density without demolishing. His works also explores emerging technology and infrastructure in vertical structures in Tall Buildings. His students have won several international awards in the High-Rise and Tall Buildings Category in Urban Design.

He would be interested in supervising PhD students in this field.

Yuri can be found on here on Instagram.

Research group affiliations

Architecture Research Institute

Publications and outputs


  • Gardens in the sky: Emotional experiences in the communal spaces at height in the Pinnacle@Duxton, Singapore
    Gardens in the sky: Emotional experiences in the communal spaces at height in the Pinnacle@Duxton, Singapore Hadi, Yuri; Heath, Tim; Oldfield, Philip A boom in high-rise construction and vertical living has resulted in an increase in privately and publicly accessible communal spaces at height within tall buildings. Asia is leading the way in these developments, with one of the most notable projects being the Pinnacle@Duxton in Singapore. Here, seven towers are interlinked by a series of skygardens providing a continuous pathway at the 26th and 50th storeys, accommodating a mixture of functions and spaces. This study intersects literature from the fields of architecture, urban design, skyscraper geography and emotional geographies with observational analysis and interviews to identify and analyse the experiences and emotions of the various stakeholders – the architect, client, building manager and residents – involved in the creation and occupation of skygardens. The results highlight a fear of outsiders and anti-social behaviour among the authorities stewarding the building, explicitly related to the verticality of communal spaces at height. This has manifested in stringent rules governing this otherwise generous social infrastructure, provoking feelings of frustration in the residents and contested ownership between the stakeholders. However, the results also emphasise opportunities for positive emotions to emerge, providing sensations of peace and escapism within these open green spaces at height, lessening the effects of over-crowding and stress often perceived in high-density living. The Publisher's final version can be found by following the DOI link.
  • Residential High-Rises and Meaningful Places: Missing Actions in the Isle of Dogs regeneration
    Residential High-Rises and Meaningful Places: Missing Actions in the Isle of Dogs regeneration Kalcheva, Elena; Taki, A. H.; Hadi, Yuri Urban regeneration often includes residential high-rises as a way of optimum use of land. However, high-rises are in many cases connected to placelessness, this is not due to some intrinsic characteristic of the typology, but more to a failure to provide meaningful places in connection to them. The reason to study the Isle of the Dogs regeneration is the successful process that led to vibrant area with strong identity and social sustainability. Therefore the purpose of this research is to identify the gaps into the sound strategy for the development of the area and in its implementation which will make the place more sustainable. The paper addresses four research questions: are the residential high-rises supporting a proper physical form; is there deployed properly scaled mix of land uses and functions in connection with residential high-rises; are there possible quality activities in quality places near the residential high-rises; and is there a strong sense of place created with the residential high-rise buildings and their surroundings. The methodology relies on observational survey of the researched area together with structured questions, to evaluate the external qualities of the residential high-rises and their surroundings. Visual information can help identify the mistakes and the omissions of the provided project examples. It can provide insight on how can be improved imageability, legibility and human scale. In this connection, the paper argues that although the quality of the architecture of the high-rises is superb, there is a failure to create meaningful, high quality public realm in connection with them. As such, it does not function as well as the designers intended to do: the functional quality of the public realm is quite low. The implications of the study suggest that actions need to take place in order to improve and foster further regeneration of the area.
  • High-Rises and Urban Design: The Reasons for Unsuccessful Place-making with Residential High-Rises in England
    High-Rises and Urban Design: The Reasons for Unsuccessful Place-making with Residential High-Rises in England Kalcheva, Elena; Taki, A. H.; Hadi, Yuri High-rises and placemaking is an understudied combination which receives more and more interest with the proliferation of this typology in many British cities. The reason for studying three major cities in England: London, Birmingham and Manchester, is to learn from the latest advances in urban design in well-developed and prominent urban environment. The analysis of several high-rise sites reveals the weaknesses in urban design of contemporary British cities and presents an opportunity to study from the implemented examples. Therefore the purpose of this research is to analyze design approaches towards creating a sustainable and varied urban environment when high-rises are involved. The research questions raised by the study are: what is the quality of high-rises and their surroundings; what facilities and features are deployed in the research area; what is the role of the high-rise buildings in the placemaking process; what urban design principles are applicable in this context. The methodology utilizes observation of the researched area by structured questions, developed by the author to evaluate the outdoor qualities of the high-rise surroundings. In this context, the paper argues that the quality of the public realm around the high-rises is quite low, missing basic but vital elements such as plazas, public art and seating, along with landscaping and pocket parks. There is lack of coherence, the rhythm of the streets is often disrupted and even though the high-rises are very aesthetically appealing they fail to create a sense of place on their own. The implications of the study are that future planning can take into consideration the critique in this article and provide more opportunities for urban design interventions around high-rise buildings in the British cities.
  • Focus on lived spaces and Identity: the Paradigm of the urban design with residential high-rises in England
    Focus on lived spaces and Identity: the Paradigm of the urban design with residential high-rises in England Kalcheva, Elena; Hadi, Yuri; Taki, A. H. Residential high‐rises find more and more often their place in central parts of the big British cities. Due to intrinsic characteristics of the typology, they are bound to be observed, evaluated and discussed. Therefor the purpose of this research is through observation of nine prominent high‐rise buildings in Manchester, Birmingham and London, subjected to rigorous analysis, to evaluate their ability to maintain identity and to be decisive part of the lived spaces around them. The research achieves this goal through four research questions: how is the design addressing the creation of strong identity of the researched buildings; are the identity‐creating features of the design contradicting major placemaking principles; what characteristics have the lived spaces around the residential high‐rises; what messages send the design of the lived spaces? The methodology relies on observational survey of the researched areas with the help of structured questions, to evaluate the external qualities of the residential high‐rises and their surroundings. Visual information can construct the basis to identify the shortcomings and the downsides of the examined project examples. It can provide insight on how can be improved imageability, legibility and the sense of place. In this connection, the results show that even though it was found that the high‐rises with their abstract form, memorable design and creative use of materials and architectural techniques maintain strong identity, the functional quality of the lived spaces around them is low, there are missing squares, gardens and playgrounds in close proximity and the only experience provided for the users is street life, which however exciting is too limited to only few activities such as eating, drinking, shopping or just walking and looking at limited typology of spaces. The implications of this research are that the British planners will address these problems and future projects will have better placemaking component.
  • Foundations of the vertical city in England: architectural theory and practice
    Foundations of the vertical city in England: architectural theory and practice Kalcheva, Elena; Taki, A. H.; Hadi, Yuri High-rises are omnipresent typologies in the megapolices around the world, however they are often associated with complicated placemaking and destruction of the existing neighbourhoods. One viable opportunity to change these negative trends is the Vertical City concept, uniting architecture and the urban design disciplines. The reason to research the British high-rises is the fact that there are some examples that are close as design to the concept of Vertical city with their technology, amenities and mix of uses. The goal of this article is to research how the four studied buildings approach the concept of Vertical city. It addresses this goal through three research questions: what design of the buildings represent the concept of Vertical City; how the formal objectives are met to approach the concept of Vertical City; how the socio/economic objectives are met to approach the concept of Vertical City? The methodology achieves the objectives of the study by gathering information for the researched buildings and analysing them according to a template developed on the basis of Vertical City manifesto. The features found in the examined buildings are maximized density and compactness for optimum efficiency which is intrinsic for the high-rises; interconnected amenities for convenience, increased efficiency, and security; mixed uses to provide for vital needs such as housing, employment, recreation, health care; optimizing the efficiency gains of centralized labour and consumption markets by shorter wasteful trips from home to work; maximized range of services and amenities to provide a vivid mix of commercial, recreational and cultural opportunities, and using the latest high-performance technologies to optimize efficiency and sustainability. However, there are many more requirements to be met and the implications of this article are that the designers in Britain will soon address them.
  • Perception of Indoor Environmental Quality of the Residents of High-Rise Buildings in Bulgaria
    Perception of Indoor Environmental Quality of the Residents of High-Rise Buildings in Bulgaria Kalcheva, Elena; Taki, A. H.; Hadi, Yuri Recent research with relatively high percentage suggesting that occupants of high-rises are generally satisfied with their indoor environment is available. However, a detailed investigation of the perception of residents in countries in Eastern Europe of their indoor quality in high-rise buildings is missing in the literature. The methodology of this research incorporates 100 respondents in 23 tall buildings. Questionnaire surveys on indoor environmental quality were carried out in the Sofia and Kozlodui, Bulgaria in December 2014. The factors taken into consideration when choosing the buildings were location, materials, height (between 12 and 20 storey) and social mixture (elderly people, families with children, younger working couples, singles). The findings clearly indicate the great quality of the buildings with levels of satisfaction accounting for 77% for the air cleanness, 93% for thermal conditions, 86% for sound conditions and 87% for the visual comfort in the flats. 42% report dust in the air, 91% claim that they find the natural ventilation feasible but 66% of the respondents report that they prefer air-conditioning and mechanical ventilation. This indicates the good preconditions of these buildings such as design, orientation and materials and implies that their characteristics could guide future construction with minor corrections.
  • Sustainable design responses for residential high-rises
    Sustainable design responses for residential high-rises Taki, A. H.; Kalcheva, Elena; Hadi, Yuri Sustainable design responses for residential high-rises is a viable topic with multiple answers. There are many separate types of researches in the literature on building envelope and applicable green technologies, but the opinion of leading architects so far has not been sought. The study discusses the sustainable design responses through the experience of twelve architects, informing the various parties of four important aspects of the sustainable design of residential high-rises. The methodology is based on an interview protocol with these four questions. The interviews were carried out in January-June 2016. The architects provided comprehensive data on the topic, including how to design residential high-rises in order to foster more social interactions, how to make these buildings more energy efficient and their views on renewable energy solution available. The implications from this study are that design professionals and the general public can use this insight for improving the design of residential high-rises in the near future. The file attached to this record is the author's final peer reviewed version. Open access article
  • Sustainable high-rises in a sustainable development-the case of Salford Quays
    Sustainable high-rises in a sustainable development-the case of Salford Quays Kalcheva, Elena; Taki, A. H.; Hadi, Yuri The purpose of this research is to analyse the design approaches towards creating a sustainable and viable environment. The research questions presented in this study are what is the quality of high-rises and their surroundings; what facilities and functions are deployed in the research area; is there an infrastructural capacity to meet higher population density; is there diversity and mix of uses and public spaces. The paper demonstrates that high-rise buildings provided with a complete set of amenities and following successful design principles and practices are a viable typology benefiting its urban setting with a compact form, higher density and aesthetical qualities, enriching and enabling mixed used urban developments.
  • Infrastructure of Bulgarian High-Rise Estates: Realities and Hopes
    Infrastructure of Bulgarian High-Rise Estates: Realities and Hopes Kalcheva, Elena; Taki, A. H.; Hadi, Yuri This chapter studies the quality and characteristics of the infrastructure in several high-rise estates in Sofia, Bulgaria and evaluates to which extend it serves the residents in the tall buildings. Most of the highrises in Sofia and their surroundings were built in the Soviet era so they represent a very old design concept and this is why it is no surprise that the quality of the public realm and the buildings is quite substandard. The spaces around the high-rises lack public spaces other than the streets and empty large pieces of land. There is lack of integrated natural features with the design of the high-rises. Hoping to achieve a functional and attractive built environment, the following need to be implemented: new layout of the streets, introduction of viable public spaces with strong sense of place where the high-rises act as a power symbol and development of green infrastructure.
  • Social and Environmental Sustainability for Better Quality of Life in Residential High-Rises
    Social and Environmental Sustainability for Better Quality of Life in Residential High-Rises Kalcheva, Elena; Taki, A. H.; Hadi, Yuri The quality of life in residential high-rise buildings is an understudied area which is important due to the large proportion of the population inhabiting them. The approaches that link sustainability with the quality of life in residential high-rises is also scarce in the literature despite the fact that implementing sustainability in high-rises is one of the ways to enhance the sustainability of our society by affecting huge structures and a large number of people. This study investigates what sustainable design responses are linked to higher quality of life in residential high-rises. The methodology of the research is relying on 12 interviews with prominent architects of high-rise buildings, carried out in January-June 2016. The architects are chosen according to their experience with sustainable high-rise buildings. The interview is based on an interview protocol with four important questions, dissecting the approaches to social and environmental sustainability. The architects provide a significant insight into the difficult relationship between sustainability and quality of life. They support the implementation of current advances in materials, building systems and amenities for more social interactions and avoidance of weaknesses such as small units, cheap materials and lack of identity. The implications from this study are that design professionals and the public can use this insight for leading the design of residential high-rises into the right direction. The article arguably claims that social and environmental sustainability is achievable by certain design responses such as attention to the public area in the buildings, proper sun and wind orientation and high-efficient skin. Open access Journal

View all of Yuri's publications on DORA.

Key research outputs

  • Yuri Hadi, Tim Heath, Phil Oldfield (2018) Gardens in the sky: Emotional experiences in the communal spaces at height in the Pinnacle@Duxton, Singapore. Emotion, Space and Society, 28, pp. 104-113.
  • Ahmad Taki, Elena Kalcheva and Yuri Hadi (2018). Sustainable design responses for residential high-rises. Journal of Buildings and Sustainability 2018 Vol. 1 No. 2, p23-34.
  • Elena Kalcheva, Ahmad Taki and Yuri Hadi (2016).Perception of indoor environmental quality of the residents of high-rise buildings in Bulgaria. Journal of Civil Engineering and Architecture Research, Vol. 3, No. 4, pp.1371-1378. ISSN: 2333-911X

Research interests/expertise

  • Tall Buildings and High Rise Design (Social Dimension)
  • Urban Design
  • Architecture Design
  • Urban Regeneration

Areas of teaching

  • PhD supervision
  • Architectural Design
  • Urban Design

Qualifications

University of Nottingham, Doctor of Philosophy (PhD), Tall Buildings & Urban Design, 2009 – 2013

Universiti Teknologi Malaysia, Bachelor's degree in Architecture, Part I/II, 1996 – 2001

Courses taught

  • BA Architecture (Part I)
  • MArch (Part II)
  • MSc Architecture and Sustainability

Honours and awards

2018 Finalist Vice Chancellor Award for Distinguish Service

Current research students

Anisha Meggi: Towards Reusing Private Non-Monumental Architecture: Diu Town
Enoch Odosela: Urban Regeneration Approach Towards enhancing City Prosperity in Ibadan, Nigeria

Olande Onitiju: Rethinking the Informality of African Cities

Daben Wang: Solar Reflected Glare from High-Rise Building Façades

Elena Kalcheva. Enhancing Quality of Life in Residential High-Rises: Sustainable Design Responses.

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