Architect Hashim Sarkis appointed as the head of the School of Architecture and Planning
**Hashim Sarkis Takes the Helm at MIT's School of Architecture and Planning**
Hashim Sarkis, a renowned architect, scholar, and educator, has been appointed as the 10th dean of the MIT School of Architecture and Planning (SA+P), effective from January 2015. Sarkis brings a wealth of experience to this role, having previously served as the Aga Khan Professor of Landscape Architecture and Urbanism in Muslim Societies at the Harvard Graduate School of Design and as the director of the Aga Khan Program for Islamic Architecture jointly at Harvard and MIT.
Sarkis' academic work spans disciplines, with a focus on architecture and urbanism, particularly in the Middle East, and engagements with modernist architectural history. He has published extensively on these topics and has taught courses and design studios in architecture and urban design that emphasise the importance of design in its cultural context across a broad range of geographic locations.
On the professional front, Sarkis is the founding principal of Hashim Sarkis Studios, an architectural firm with over 20 years of experience designing civic, commercial, and private residential projects across the United States, Lebanon, and the United Arab Emirates. His work has been recognised internationally, featured at venues such as the Museum of Modern Art in New York and showcased in major architectural biennials including Venice, Rotterdam, and Shenzhen–Hong Kong.
Notable highlights of Sarkis' career include curating the 17th Venice Architecture Biennale in 2021, presenting innovative architectural discourse on micro-politics and urbanism. He has also made significant scholarly contributions to understanding the transformation of Arab cities and Islamic architecture within contemporary urbanism.
Sarkis' architectural practice has designed and is currently working on various buildings, including the new town hall of Byblos, Lebanon, a housing project in Tyre, Lebanon, a park in downtown Beirut, urban design guidelines for several Middle Eastern cities, and residential and commercial buildings in the metropolitan Boston area.
SA+P encompasses five departments, programs, and centres: the Department of Architecture, the Department of Urban Studies and Planning, the MIT Media Lab, the Center for Real Estate, and the Program in Art, Culture, and Technology. Under Sarkis' leadership, the school has consolidated and renewed the physical spaces in which its scholars and practitioners work to encourage cross-disciplinary collaboration.
Over the past decade, graduate applications to many programs at SA+P have soared, and approximately 40 percent of the current faculty has been hired within this period. Sarkis' appointment marks a significant milestone for the school, as he succeeds Santos who served as dean from 2004 until this year.
In addition to his role at MIT, Sarkis continues to serve as the Aga Khan Professor of Landscape Architecture and Urbanism in Muslim Societies at Harvard University's Graduate School of Design. He has also co-edited several volumes about leaders of modernism and has published works on architecture and urbanism in Lebanon, including "Circa 1958: Lebanon in the Pictures and Plans of Constantinos Doxiadis" (2003) and "Projecting Beirut" (1998), about the modern development and more recent reconstruction of Beirut.
Mark Jarzombek, an architectural historian, critic, and theorist, served as SA+P's interim dean since July 1. With Sarkis' arrival, Jarzombek returns to his role as the Ann Whiston Spirn Professor of Landscape Architecture and Planning at MIT's Department of Urban Studies and Planning.
- Hashim Sarkis champions education and self-development, having taught courses and design studios that place cultural context at the heart of architecture and urban design.
- Sarkis' research extends beyond his academic work, as he co-edited several volumes about leaders of modernism and published works on architecture and urbanism in Lebanon.
- In the public sphere, Sarkis has made significant scholarly contributions to understanding the transformation of Arab cities and Islamic architecture within contemporary urbanism.
- amidst his various projects, Sarkis designed the new town hall of Byblos, Lebanon, and urban design guidelines for several Middle Eastern cities, showcasing his commitment to public spaces.
- Sarkis' innovative architectural approach was showcased at international venues, including the Museum of Modern Art in New York and the 17th Venice Architecture Biennale.
- As the 10th dean of MIT's School of Architecture and Planning, Sarkis has consolidated and renewed physical spaces to encourage cross-disciplinary collaboration within the institution's departments, programs, and centers.
- The energy and vitality of the environment are crucial to Sarkis' work, as shown in his projects such as the environmental restoration of a park in downtown Beirut and a housing project in Tyre, Lebanon.
- Sarkis' leadership has greatly impacted the school, with a steady increase in graduate applications and the hiring of approximately 40 percent of the current faculty over the past decade, transforming the landscape of education and innovation at MIT's School of Architecture and Planning.
