Michael Sorkin died aged 71 in New York on 26th March 2020. He will be remembered for his work as an architect and esteemed educator. Sorkin was a lifelong advocate for social justice and sustainability. He saw architecture as a vehicle for a more just and equitable world. His writing focused not on the structure but rather on the people and politics of building. Much of his work focused on things like green roofs, vertical farms and sustainable energy – ideas ahead of their time.

Sorkin became famous for ripping into conventional wisdom; he was heavily critical of cities, such as New York, for being laid out in blocks — for him it made the city impersonal. He increased the boundaries of criticism. He not only wrote about buildings, but also the bigger picture of how architecture is shaped by political change, social change and dirty money. He was an astute and acerbic writer. “Whether or not one agreed with Michael Sorkin didn’t matter in the end,” said Blair Kamin. “He was a great activist critic — fearless, unafraid to challenge received wisdom or powerful figures, and, because of his wit and insight, a pleasure to read.” (Eleanor Gibson, De Zeen) It was not only in his work that Sorkin had an impact, but also through his teaching and writing. Gaetano Pesce reflected on his legacy: “A non-political correct mind, a unique personality, a free spirit, a friend, Michael Sorkin leaves a big and empty space in the American culture.”

“As Sorkin did, we should use lockdown as an opportunity to actually see the world around us”

Sorkin became an eminent critic for the Village Voice, American’s first alternative newsweekly, which was a platform for the creative community in New York. While writing for the Village Voice, Sorkin also led an architecture firm and founded a non-profit research group. He wrote and edited a total of 20 books, with the most recent being Twenty Minutes in Manhattan.

Twenty Minutes in Manhattan follows Sorkin as he sets out his daily walk to work. He followed the same path for over fifteen years; during this time he observed the transformation of New York City. The book gives an anecdotal account of his casual encounters with the physical space and social dimensions of his city. His perambulations offer us the perfect window to engage with a vast range of issues, from street litter to lift etiquette. This thinking, in turn, can give us a new kind of freedom — something that is very relevant in the current climate of coronavirus.

There is no doubt that lockdown has brought about a quieter and slower way of life, and we are spending more time than ever in our local communities. Coronavirus has led to empty streets, quiet roads and an unfamiliar air, all of which is forcing us to see the true value of what is around us. In this new, slower way of life, we should all be giving more attention to where we live and the environment we inhabit. What Sorkin teaches us, is that we ought to draw conclusions by creating an attentive relationship with our surroundings. This way of thinking is most prevalent in Sorkin’s infamous list of ‘250 Things an Architect Should Know’, in which he highlights the subtle observations we should all be making.

The list begins with “The feel of cool marble under bare feet.” Not only a fitting title for this piece, it is also an example of how Sorkin wished us to engage with our own environment – with an appreciation for all the senses. The list continues: “How to live in a small room with five strangers for six months” – this is perhaps the most relevant today; many of us will have learnt a variation of this during the last five months or so. At number six sits “The distance of a whisper” — Coronavirus has turned the roars of many cities and towns into whispers. As much as it feels like the world has stopped turning, we still have the same 24 hours each day and we should use the quiet to observe things that are seemingly intangible. At 209 on the list lies “How to give directions, efficiently and courteously” — not only a life skill living in Cambridge, but also again another way in which to interact with our environment. As Sorkin did, we should use lockdown as an opportunity to actually see the world around us, watch what is going on and observe how people interact.

In tribute, Geoff Manaugh remembered Sorkin’s unique subtlety of thinking, quoting Sorkin as saying “Fish are symmetrical but only until they wiggle. Our effort is to measure the space between the Fish and the wiggle. This is the study of a lifetime.” (Joseph Giovannini, New York Times) Lockdown, for many, has brought more time and less movement. Sorkin’s work, in the end, is a valentine to the idea of how to view our environment; it is nuanced and brings a kind of subtlety that can feel unattainable in today’s world.

Link to full list of ‘250 Things an Architect Should Know’:

https://www.readingdesign.org/250-things