Mixed Plate Special - From the ground up

From the ground up

Written by Christen Vidanovic
Monday, December 17 2007
"The topography of our relatively small island demands careful consideration of the relationships of all our man-made structures in order not to destroy our natural assets." - Vladimir Ossipoff, 1965 The smallness of our islands is more evident now than ever. Suburban sprawl, resorts with man-made lagoons and skyscrapers towering over historic buildings blend together in perfect disharmony. Hawaiian Modern: The Architecture of Vladimir Ossipoff at the Honolulu Academy of Arts gives us a welcome respite from the thoughtless architecture that's been encroaching on O‘ahu's green space for years with a retrospective on the architectural work of Vladimir Ossipoff. The Hawaiian Modern exhibit is, itself, designed with a gentle flow that draws the visitor forward in a fluid procession through the architect's work. The exhibit was choreographed by locally born Yale Professor and architect Dean Sakamoto and features detailed scale models of Ossipoff's designs, poster-sized photographs and digital video segments. Fan of architecture or not, the exhibit is pertinent to understanding how we create our sense of place in Hawai‘i. Ossipoff stitched his buildings into the landscape, creating structures that interacted with their environment and used the surrounding environment to create a more livable space. Buildings without walls, like the Outrigger Canoe Club and even the Honolulu Airport, pay homage to the Hawaiian lanai and collaborate with Hawai‘i's unique climate to keep air fresh and circulating. Ossipoff did more than just design buildings that blend into the landscape, though. Focusing on the relationship between darkness and air by exploring the way we live through shade and ventilation, using rough hewn woods and creating homes with discreet entries, Ossipoff allowed our lives and where we live to become a part of our environment instead of separating us from it. Out of 30 buildings designed by Ossipoff, 28 still remain. Hawaiian Modern: The Architecture of Vladimir Ossipoff reveals not only how we can live in our environment, but gives us an opportunity to understand why. Hawaiian Modern: The Architecture of Vladimir Ossipoff Honolulu Academy of Arts Through Sunday, January 27 ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Comments (0) Subscribe to this comment's feed Write comment Name Email Comment Write the displayed characters