Dr Yazid Khemri

Senior Lecturer in Architecture and Design - Academic Lead for Global Partnerships

Email:: yazid.khemri@bcu.ac.uk

Dr Yazid Khemri has been involved in the practice, research and teaching of Architecture for over a decade, and currently leads the third year (Level 6) of the BA (Hons) Architecture programme. Yazid was awarded a PhD in Architecture by the University of Portsmouth, where he also taught across Design Studio, Technology and History and Theory. He holds an Architect diploma and an MSc in Architecture and Sustainable Environment.

Trained as an architect and urban designer, Yazid has a particular interest in sustainability as a driver for the design process, and relies on teaching approaches that advocate for learning through making and testing. He has taught various modules and led design studios in architecture with a keen interest in urbanism and climate-sensitive design.

Yazid has a strong passion for research into sustainable architecture and cities. He leads the Everyday Living and Spatial Practices strand within the Urban Cultures research cluster, currently focusing on urban social sustainability and community resilience, with a particular emphasis on topics related to urban life.

Previous research includes an ethnographic study of social life in neighbourhoods of Algiers, consolidating his interest in the liveliness of public spaces, and arguing that studying people's behaviour is key to designing socio-culturally responsive urban environments. This work forms the basis of his forthcoming monograph, Learning From El Houma, co-authored with Alessandro Melis and published by Routledge.

In 2021, he collaborated with the curator Alessandro Melis for the Italian pavilion at La Biennale di Venezia, and he was artistic director supervising Birmingham City University's participation in a collateral event as part of La Biennale di Venezia 2023.

Yazid supervises PhD researchers and is an academic collaborator at the New York Institute of Technology, where he guest lectures on the MS Health and Design programme.

Areas of Expertise

Qualifications

Memberships

Teaching

Research

Postgraduate Supervision

Publications

Academic papers:

Khemri, M, Y. (2025). Public Art for a Better Aura in Urban Spaces. In: Melis, A., Pelle, M. (eds) Design for Performative Arts Spaces. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-98215-6_20Performative 20

Khemri, M, Y. (2025). Metamorphosis Through Exaptation and Urban Making. Metamorphosis: Transforming Italian Architecture. Pacini. Metamorphosis | Festival Architettura 2025 | 3rd Edition

Khemri, M.Y. (2025). The Interplay Between Exaptation and Urban Life: Redundancy and Informality in El Houma. In: Lara-Hernandez, J.A., Melis, A., Boarin, P., Besen, P. (eds) The Dusk of Design. Integrated Science, vol 34. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-76867-5_8vol 8

Khemri, M, Y. (2023). Urban Oasis; the arena of urban life Students as researchers: Creative Practice and University Education. Venice Biennale Catalogue

Khemri, M, Y., & Melis, A. (2022). Algiers as a Paradigmatic Mediterranean City: El Houma as a Measure of Urban Life. disP - The Planning Review, 58:2, 16-39. https://doi.org/10.1080/02513625.2022.2123162

Khemri, M, Y., and Melis, A. (2021). Achieving community resilience through informal urban practices: the case of El Houma in Algiers. In A. Di Raimo, S. Lehmann, & A. Melis (Eds.), Informality Now: Informal Settlements Through the Lens of Sustainability. Routledge. https://www.taylorfrancis.com/chapters/edit/10.4324/9780429331701-23/achieving-community-resilience-informal-urban-practices-mohamed-yazid-khemri-alessandro-melis

Khemri, M, Y., Caputo, S & Melis, A. (2021). The drawbacks of a global concept of sustainable neighbourhood in developing countries. In Mohareb, N., Versaci, A., Mahgoub, Y., Maruthaveeran, S., Alberti, F., (ed). Cities’ Vocabularies: The Influences and Formations. Springer Nature Switzerland AG. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-51961-2_16

Khemri, M, Y. (2021). Three neighbourhoods in Algiers. In Barton, H., Grant, M., & Guise, R. (3^rd ed). Shaping Neighbourhoods: For Local Health and Global Sustainability. Routledge.

Lara Hernandez, J. A., Khemri, M. Y., & Melis, A. (2021). Understanding temporary appropriation and the streetscape design: the case of Algiers, Auckland and Mexico City. In A. Di Raimo, S. Lehmann, & A. Melis (Eds.), Informality Now: Informal Settlements Through the Lens of Sustainability. Routledge. https://www.taylorfrancis.com/chapters/edit/10.4324/9780429331701-19/understanding-temporary-appropriation-streetscape-design-antonio-lara-hernandez-yazid-khemri-alessandro-melis?context=ubx&refId=81f71a22-8ffb-4bcd-8e11-4a7e7fca81e4

Forester, B., Lara Hernandez, J. A., Khemri, M. Y., & Melis, A. (2021). Shifting the threshold of public space in UK and Algeria during Covid-19 Pandemic. The Journal of Public Space. Available through: https://www.journalpublicspace.org/index.php/jps/article/view/1387/802

Khemri, M, Y. (2021). Solidarity and sense of belonging to sustain resilient communities in Algiers. Architectural Exaptation. Catalogue of the Italian Pavilion “Resilient Communities” at the 2021 Architecture Biennale, Vol 1a. D Editore.

Khemri, M. Y., Melis, A., & Caputo, S. (2020). Sustaining the liveliness of public spaces in El Houma through placemaking: the case of Algiers. The Journal of Public Space, 5(1), 129-152. Available through: https://www.journalpublicspace.org/index.php/jps/article/view/1254

Khemri, M, Y. (2020). Features of resilient neighbourhoods in the Mediterranean area. Largo Duomo. Vol4. Pp 132-145. Available through: https://issuu.com/oappc_li/docs/largo_duomo_n_4

Conference presentations

Khemri, M, Y. (2025). (Keynote speaker) What’s next for Birmingham in the age of Austerity. We are out of Time.

Khemri, M, Y. (2021). (Keynote speaker) Urban life as a potential driver for urban regeneration: the case of El Houma in Algiers. Regenerating cities during crisis: Culturally Routed and Sustainable Strategies for Middle Easter Cities.

Khemri, M, Y. (2021). Urban life as a driver for community resilience. Conference: Diritto alle Citta (right to the city) conference organised by the Italian pavilion of the Venice Biennale.

Khemri, M, Y. (2020). Assessing community resilience through activity mapping in urban neighbourhoods: the case of Algiers. Conference organised by the faculty of Creative and Cultural Industries. University of Portsmouth.

Khemri, M, Y. (2019). The drawbacks of a global concept of sustainable neighbourhood in developing countries. International conference: Cities’ Identity through Architecture and Arts (3rd edition). IEREK. Italy.

Research symposiums

Khemri, M, Y. (2023). El Houma as an expression of public realm in Algiers. Inspiring research talk series. Birmingham City University.

Khemri, M, Y. (2022). Activating urban spaces beyond artificiality. Students as researchers. Venice Biennale

Khemri, M, Y. (2019). Community resilience in Algiers: The case of El Houma. First International research. International symposium on Resilient Communities. University of Portsmouth.

Khemri, M, Y. (2019). Social use of space and community resilience: The case of Algiers. International research symposium for the University of Ferrara of Italy.

Khemri, M, Y. (2018). Towards socially sustainable neighbourhoods in Algeria. Research symposium for representatives of the University of Sao Paolo. Brazil.

Khemri, M, Y. (2016). The Heating and Ventilating system of the Royal Courts of Justice of London, at the Chartered Institute of Building Services Engineers (CIBSE) headquarter in London.