hashim sarkis ? the lebanese architect and dean of the school of architecture and planning at MIT ? has been appointed curator of the 2020 venice architecture biennale. sarkis follows in the footsteps of yvonne farrell and shelley mcnamara of grafton architects who directed the 2018 edition of the event, and alejandro aravena who curated the 2016 exhibition.
 
in addition to his role at MIT, sarkis is also the principal architect of hashim sarkis studios (HSS), established in 1998 with offices in boston and beirut. below, we take a closer look at four of the firm?s most significant projects to date.
 
 
byblos town hall

byblos town hall, byblos, lebanon, 2016 | image by wissam chaaya (also main image)
 
 
after an anonymous open competition, hashim sarkis was selected to design a town hall for byblos ? one of the world?s oldest continuously inhabited cities. the building is broken down into three large blocks that each house a different component of the program: the municipal departments, the municipal council offices, and an interactive museum. the building is connected at ground level, while the gaps between the blocks bring light inside. the project was completed in 2016.  
 
balloon landing park

balloon landing park, beirut, lebanon, 2004 | image by joumana arab
 
 
completed in 2004, this project in beirut serves as a tethered helium balloon that takes passengers 300 meters above the city and then descends in less than 15 minutes. instead of encumbering the...