USM Haller Storage Unit open, Pure orange RAL 2004

The USM Haller filing cabinet is part of the modular USM modular furniture system which was developed in 1963 by Swiss architect Fritz Haller. The USM company owner Paul Schärer commissioned Haller in 1961 to design new buildings and also requested ideas for the interior furnishings and office furniture. True to the concept of open plan offices Paul Schärer wanted furniture that was flexible and without rigid hierarchies. In the early years the USM Haller shelving system was exclusively used by USM; however in 1969 the company was commissioned to provide units for the Paris offices of Rothschild Bank. Following completion of this order the system entered series production. Characterized by its minimalist and modular nature USM shelving revolutionised office furniture with just three basic elements: steel tubing, a brass connector ball, powder coated cladding panels. Its flexible, modular design allows USM Haller to adapt to all and any requirements - and change when requirements change. USM Haller sideboards and the other units of the USM Haller system can be modified or extended as and when required and so allow for very flexible, individual interiors.

USM Haller Production: Construction of a USM Haller mobile cabinet

Historical Context

Fritz Haller shelving emerged in close connection with his work as an architect: work closely associated with the principles of functionalism. In the years following the First World War the concept of functionalism had emerged from the Bauhaus as an important design principle, however it only developed into the hallmark of modern building and living we understand today in the years after World War Two. With functionalism, functional aspects were placed in the foreground of architecture and design. USM Haller's functionalist claim is largely defined by the fact that the system is flexible, adaptable and thus perfectly suited for a changing environment. The severe reduction and clear, basic geometric structures of the USM furniture can in addition be related to the minimalist sculpture of the 1960s, a genre which focused on schematic clarity and addressed the examination of logic and the presentation of art in the exhibition space.

The free-standing USM unit equally meets functional and aesthetic demands.

Manufacturer

The USM filing cabinet has a long history: a story which begins in 1885 when Ulrich Schärer established USM as a locksmith and hardware store in the Swiss town of Münsingen near Bern. In the early 20th century the company added the production of window fittings and general sheet steel fabrication to their programme, and so, unwittingly, laid the foundations for their future success as one of the world's leading furniture manufacturers. Since 1969, the USM Haller modular furniture system has been produced in Münsingen where the company also develop additions to the family, the most notable being the USM Haller tables and the USM mobile containers. Since 1988 the furniture system has been protected by copyright and classified as a work of applied art. With showrooms from Tokyo to New York, USM has a worldwide reputation. And service network.

USM Haller Filing Cabinet, Open

Production

Now, as ever, all USM components begin life at the company's facilities in Münsingen, Switzerland. Here USM both produce all parts for the USM furniture systems and powder coat the metal shelves and panels in one of the 15 standard USM colours. Components intended for the German market re subsequently transported the USM factory in Bühl, Baden-Württemberg. Throughout the whole production process USM Haller pay special attention to the ecological sustainability. A particular feature is minimising transport induced CO2 emissions through a well considered distribution process. In addition the company recently opened a new powder coating facility in Münsingen which reduces resource use by some 30% compared with the old facility. But above all the USM design itself ensures the products environmental responsibility: the use of high quality materials, the products long life cycle and modular nature mean that USM Haller units need never be removed or thrown out. Thus automatically saving valuable resources.

Fritz Haller designed the USM Haller system in the 1960s

Designer

Fritz Haller was born in 1924 in the Swiss town of Solothurn. Before he began his cooperation with Vitra Fritz Haller worked as a freelance architect realising numerous projects in and around Solothurn, for all public buildings. was before it came to work with USM, worked as an independent architect. In 1961 Fritz Haller was commissioned by Paul Schärer with the planning of new production and administration buildings and two years later developed for USM a modular furniture system. Even if the USM Haller shelves remain his only commercial furniture design, they brought Fritz Haller great success and numerous awards. In 2001 the system was added to the permanent collection of the MoMA New York. Originally designed for office situations over the decades the clear, minimalist, functional design has made USM Haller an increasingly popular option for domestic furnishings. Fritz Haller taught architecture at the universities of Karlsruhe and Stuttgart. Fritz Haller died in October 2012 in his native Solothurn.

USM Showroom Düsseldorf