Olav Selvaag

Jens Olav Walaas Selvaag grew up in the small community of Lista in Vest-Agder, Norway. He came from a home with socially-committed parents. His father, Ole Walaas Selvaag (1870–1930), was a medical doctor who rose to prominence as a public health official at the district and county level; and was also a member of parliament for the Liberal Party. Olav's mother was Kathrine Amalie née Samuelsen (1884–1970), a home economics teacher. During the occupation of Norway by Nazi Germany during World War II, Selvaag and Ringnes were among the very few firms of their time to immediately take a principled stand against performing any construction project for the occupying powers. Both were active in the resistance. Ringnes had to go undercover toward the end of the war, and Selvaag managed weapons stores for Milorg. ==Residential construction==

Selvaag gained his reputation as an innovator in the austere post-war years, when he wrote an open letter (with drawings) to the Norwegian parliament (with copies to twelve leading newspapers) severely criticizing residential regulations and codes for their inefficiency, and claiming that three times as many residences could be built with the same amount of materials and effort. Challenged to prove his point, he built a test home in the Ekeberg section of Oslo, the so-called Ekeberg House (Ekeberghuset) and first exhibited it on September 3, 1948. The Ekeberg House was met with skepticism, many thinking it was not durable. Skeptics also thought that the savings in time and material were only possible for a single house, but could not be replicated for larger projects. social policy that emphasized public works projects, and the architectural establishment. His approach and outspokenness made him one of the most controversial figures in post-war Norway. Although non-partisan in his outlook, he commented on a wide range of political issues, including taxation, transportation, and telecommunications. He was asked to serve as minister of industry in the short-lived John Lyng cabinet, but turned the invitation down, citing his wish to remain independent. Brynjulf Bull, the former mayor of Oslo, commented in 1975 that his greatest regret was that the Labour Party had treated Selvaag shabbily. ==Legacy==

Selvaag's contribution to the housing scarcity in Norway following World War II, and subsequent years, created entire urban neighborhoods, especially in the Greater Oslo Region. His persistent philosophy was that society owed it to itself to use all its available resources to benefit as many of its citizens as possible, and especially those who were disadvantaged. He was an active proponent of building functional and affordable housing, hospitals, and support for the elderly. Starting with the project in the neighborhood of Veitvet, Selvaag made a custom of buying a sculpture for each of his projects. As a result, he became the largest purchaser of sculpture art in Norway, second only to the Norwegian government. In 1959, he also founded the first music school in Norway in 1959 in Veitvet and ran it until 1972, when he gave the school to the city of Oslo. This school evolved into several other music schools, notable among them the Norwegian Academy of Music. ==Honors==

• Selvaag received a number of awards and distinctions, including the St. Hallvard Medal in 1986 and the Order of St. Olav (Knight, later Commander). • Selvaagparken is a park on Bryne just off the center of Vanse in Farsund municipality. • Olav Selvaags plass is located as Tjuvholmen in Oslo. • Selvaagprisen is awarded by the Selvaag Group. ==References==