HASHIM SARKIS

Lebanese architect and educator Hashim Sarkis is the principal of Hashim Sarkis Studios (HSS), established in 1998 with offices in Boston and Beirut. He is also the Dean of the School of Architecture and Planning at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), a position he has held since 2015. Before joining MIT, Sarkis was the Aga Khan Professor of Landscape Architecture and Urbanism at Harvard University. He is best-known for his contribution to the development and reconstruction of Lebanon, from Beirut’s downtown to the country’s fishing village of Tyre. His projects span affordable housing, residential projects, parks, institutional buildings, urban design and town planning. Sarkis was appointed curator of the Venice Architecture Biennale for 2020, which will be taking place later this year.

RIBA Chartered British architect Jennie Binchy is the design director of boutique architecture and interior design studio Binchy and Binchy, which she founded in Dubai in 2015 to focus on working with local clients and home-grown brands. With the founding philosophy that design should be ‘of its time and of its place’, Binchy explores the history and aesthetic language of the region, and the studio’s work has become increasingly known for blending contemporary design with local influences. Working across a broad spectrum of typologies, the studio’s recently completed work includes an aviation training centre, a luxury private villa, and a chain of French/Arabic-inspired bistros. Fascinated by product design, Binchy launched Ten Tables in 2019, and this year is exploring fabrication and cutting techniques using travertine, with the aim of launching a new collection later in the year. She is also working on several luxury residences in Dubai, a multistorey commercial residence in Sharjah and two urban townhouses in Abu Dhabi.