An architect, educator, and scholar, Sarkis received his BArch and BFA from the Rhode Island School of Design in 1987, his MArch with distinction from the Harvard University Graduate School of Design (GSD) in 1989, and his PhD in architecture from Harvard University in 1995.

Sarkis established his professional practice, HSS, in Boston and Beirut in 1998, prior to which he worked for several design firms including with Rafael Moneo in the souks project of Beirut.

From 1995 to 2014, Sarkis was on the faculty of the Harvard University Graduate School of Design, where he taught design studios and the history and theory of architecture. Between 2002 and 2014, he was the Aga Khan Professor of Landscape Architecture and Urbanism in Muslim Societies at the GSD and also directed the GSD’s Aga Khan Program.

Sarkis is the author of several books and articles including Circa 1958: Lebanon in the Pictures and Plans of Constantinos Doxiadis (2003). He is editor of CASE: Le Corbusier’s Venice Hospital (2001), co-editor with Eric Mumford of Josep Lluis Sert: The Architect of Urban Design (2008) co-editor with Peter G. Rowe of Projecting Beirut (1998) and editor of the CASE publication series (GSD / Prestel). Sarkis has served on several international juries and has lectured extensively throughout the world.