Fritz Haller the renowned Swiss architect was asked to design a new building for USM at their head quarters in Munsingen near Bern, USM at that time was a company that specialised in sheet metal working but it was the influential design of the new factory that changed the company’s direction. The functional building based on a modular steel construction system, was completely neutral in concept and could be converted or extended according to requirements. Once the building was completed it was discovered that there was not a furniture system that complemented and worked with the building and this was how the USM Haller product line was born. The USM Haller system became a miniature version of the building undertaking the same philosophy in that the furniture will grow with its owners needs. The cleans lines, adaptability and forward thinking design of Haller won its first large commission with the Rothschild bank in Paris and from here became a style staple with architects and designers. The same system can now be found in some of the best examples of architecture across the globe and has been commissioned as the furniture of choice in many influential and design savvy companies.
The design of the USM Haller modular system is fantastically simple, however it is the Swiss precision in which the components are made that give the furniture the strength, versatility and clean lines that have made USM Haller a design classic. Launched on to the market in 1965 the USM Haller system has become a watchword for timeless design all over the world. In 1988 it was decided in Germany for the first time ever that the USM Haller furniture system is a work of applied art and should be protected by copyright. Its acceptance into the Design Collection of the Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) in New York (USA) at the end of 2001 was a high distinction and confirmed the artistic character of the product. The design classic is used in offices and public buildings as well as increasingly in the style conscious home.