Architect Hashim Sarkis selected as new head of School of Architecture and Planning
New Dean Appointed at MIT's School of Architecture and Planning
Hashim Sarkis, a renowned Lebanese architect and urban designer, has been named the 10th permanent dean of MIT's School of Architecture and Planning (SA+P), effective from January. Sarkis, who currently serves as the Aga Khan Professor of Landscape Architecture and Urbanism in Muslim Societies at Harvard University's Graduate School of Design (GSD), succeeds Nancy K. S. Santos, who served as dean from 2004 until this year.
Sarkis is known for his innovative spatial strategies, social inclusion, and contextual sensitivity in architectural projects and urban design guidelines, particularly in the Middle East. His architectural practice, Hashim Sarkis Studios, has won numerous competitions and designed civic and commercial projects, as well as private houses, from Massachusetts to Lebanon and the United Arab Emirates.
One of Sarkis' most notable achievements is curating the Venice Architecture Biennale in 2021, where he emphasised a "new spatial contract" that explores how we live together in nature, signalling his interest in rethinking urbanism and architecture to foster more harmonious communities.
Sarkis' influence as a thought leader in architectural education and urban design is notable, with his position at MIT shaping discourse and practice related to urbanism, including in Beirut and the broader region. His work broadly engages with designing socially inclusive, context-aware urban and architectural environments, addressing contested and sensitive territories, which aligns with trends in Middle Eastern urbanism that seek to balance heritage, modernity, and socio-political complexities.
Sarkis received his BArch, BFA, MArch, and PhD from the Rhode Island School of Design and Harvard University, respectively. He has published several books, including "Circa 1958: Lebanon in the Pictures and Plans of Constantinos Doxiadis" (2003), and has edited or co-edited volumes about several leaders of modernism, such as "CASE: Le Corbusier's Venice Hospital" (2001) and "Josep Lluis Sert: The Architect of Urban Design" (2008).
The school has consolidated and renewed the physical spaces in which its scholars and practitioners work to encourage cross-disciplinary collaboration. 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.
Graduate applications to many programs at SA+P have soared over the past decade. Approximately 40 percent of the current SA+P faculty has been hired within the past decade, indicating a renewed focus on innovation and forward-thinking approaches to architecture and urban planning.
Mark Jarzombek, an architectural historian, critic, and theorist, has served as SA+P's interim dean since July 1. He will continue to serve in this role until Sarkis takes up his duties in January.
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