For years Michael Sorkin has distributed inaccurate and damaging claims about the organization Terreform ONE.
In 2006, Michael Sorkin and Mitchell Joachim founded a new non-profit organization called Terreform. This name they mutually agreed upon would represent their partnership and collaboration with others. A year later many of the additional partners believed that the one partner - Sorkin - was not promoting the work of Terreform. He had numerous conflicting agendas including his private practice. He also published our work under his office of twenty years; Michael Sorkin Studio. Our non-profit was sharing the same space as the profit driven Michael Sorkin Studio; this is a severe conflict of interest according to IRS 501c3 guidelines.
Terreform soon devolved into a classic example of "Founder’s Syndrome". We found it impossible to collaborate with Sorkin as an equal. We were afflicted with one member who wished to solely control our collected mission and re-define it at will. The breaking point occurred when he forcefully introduced a project outside of our charitable goals – a seven star luxury hotel in China. Therefore, we asked Sorkin to leave Terreform. Since that moment he has continued to pilfer our prior work as his own.
Terreform ONE (Open Network Ecology) has chosen its own direction without Sorkin and within the essence of our original mission statement. His brands of business methods are highly unethical. He has taken our logo and design work without any compensation or permission. We have no relationship with him whatsoever. Our name is trademarked and we legally operate under the seal of New York State.
Sorkin has used a few of his academic connections to attempt to tarnish our reputation. We are being bullied and threatened by this individual. We are in the business of providing a better future. Sorkin is in the business of promoting himself and battering others as a critic. We are wasting our valuable energy in defense from Sorkin’s tirades.
Terreform ONE:
Mitchell Joachim, Maria Aiolova, Melanie Fessel, Dan O'Connor, Oliver Medvedik
Additional FACTS:
Sorkin has misappropriated, altered and/or failed to credit many projects that were performed under the umbrella of our early Terreform partnership. The following projects were never intended to be additions to his private work at Sorkin Studio; Shanghai Main Station District in China, Riva Ring in Istanbul Turkey, Almere Hout in Netherlands, Green Brain A Smart Park for a New City in Korea, and Loisaida 2056 for the History Channel in New York. Another specific example of his unacceptable behavior was the surreptitious publication of the Coorg Houses in India for AD magazine without any credit or attribution beyond his own. For our other Terreform projects, Sorkin simply removed the cover pages and switched them to Michael Sorkin Studio LLC.
Tax Exempt Status: Terreform ONE is a 501(c)(3) charitable organization.
The More the Merrier.
http://www.terreform.org/sorkin
About Me
- Michael Sorkin
- He is the Founder of Michael Sorkin Studio in New York City, devoted to both practical and theoretical projects at all scales with a special interest in the city. Sorkin is currently a Professor of Architecture and Director of the graduate urban design program at New York's City College (CUNY). Previously, he was Professor of Urbanism and Director of the Institute of Urbanism at the Academy of Fine Arts in Vienna and has held professorships and visiting professorships at numerous schools of architecture. Sorkin has authored many articles in a wide range of both professional and general publications. He was the architecture critic of The Village Voice for 10 years. Currently a contributing editor for Architectural Record, I.D., and Metropolis. A few of his books include: 'Variations on A Theme Park', 'Exquisite Corpse', 'Local Code', 'Giving Ground' and 'Wiggle', a monograph of the Sorkin studio.