Vladimir Ossipoff

Vladimir ‘Val’ Ossipoff (25 November 1907, Vladivostok, Russia—1 October 1998, Honolulu, Hawaii) was an American architect renowned for his works in Hawaii.cite web |url= http://www.bizjournals.com/pacific/stories/2006/02/27/focus1.html |title= Ossipoff homes still stand as uniquely Hawaii |author= Nina Wu |work= Pacific Business News |date= 24 February 2006 |quote= Ossipoff homes are known for their strong roof lines, deep overhangs, dark woods, native stone and built-in cabinets and fixtures. He eschewed air conditioning and always took advantage of natural ventilation through huge sliding doors and windows that would open entire walls to the outside. ]

Vladimir Ossipoff grew up in Tokyo, Japan, where his father was a military attaché of the Russian embassy, and emigrated to the United States in 1923. He moved to Hawaii after graduating from the University of California, Berkeley in 1931 and said in the early 1960s that he carried on a war on ugliness.cite web |url= http://www.hanahou.com/pages/Magazine.asp?Action=DrawArticle&ArticleID=623&MagazineID=39 |title= Outside In: The Architecture of Vladimir Ossipoff |author= Curt Sanborn |work= Hana Hou! V. 10 #5 October/November 2007 |quote= ] He was awarded the first medal of honor of the Hawaii chapter of the American Institute of Architects.cite web |url= http://hale-pohaku.net/Ossipoff/ossipoff.html |title= Vladimir Ossipoff |author= Editorial |work= Honolulu Star-Bulletin |date= 3 October 1998 |quote= ]

The Honolulu Academy of Arts has organized the first museum retrospective of his work.cite web |url= http://www.honoluluacademy.org/cmshaa/academy/index.aspx?id=1866&terms=Ossipoff |title= Hawaiian Modern: The Architecture of Vladimir Ossipoff |work= Honolulu Academy of Arts |date= Exhibition: 29 November 2007 through 27 January 2008, before traveling to other national and international venues |quote= ] "Hawaiian Modern: The Architecture of Vladimir Ossipoff" was on view at the Academy from November 29, 2007, to January 27, 2008. The show was planned to travel next to the Deutsches Architekturmuseum on the Museum Embankment in Frankfurt, Germany (Summer 2008) and the Yale School of Architecture Gallery in New Haven, Connecticut (Fall 2008).

Vladimir Ossipoff has been called “the master of Hawaii modern architecture,” “the dean of residential architects in Hawaii,”cite web |url= http://starbulletin.com/98/10/02/news/obits.html |title= Vladimir Ossipoff, dean of Hawaii architects |author= Rod Ohira |work= Honolulu Star-Bulletin |date= 2 October 1998 |quote= ] and “the premier postwar designer of kama’aina-stylecite web |url= http://www.hilohello.com/Architecture.html |title= Hawaiian Architecture |work= Hawaii Home |quote= The local architectural style is called kama’aina, or native born. Kama’aina is a style rich in beautiful simplicity and island tradition. True kama’aina architecture is generally open plan, keeping with the importance of multigenerational family living and the strength of the community spirit - and to capitalize on those gentle ocean breezes. Decoration is simple but beautiful, generally focused on the shapes, materials, and hues of nature. ] cite web |url= http://starbulletin.com/98/10/06/editorial/smyser.html |title= The house that Vladimir Ossipoff built |author= A.A. Smyser |work= Honolulu Star-Bulletin |date= 6 October 1998 |quote= ] residences in Honolulu.”cite web |url= http://www.honolulumagazine.com/archives/HON100/1105_100_71-80.html |title= The Honolulu 100: Vladimir Ossipoff (1907-1998) |work= Honolulu Magazine |date= November 2005 |quote= ]

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