Imagine you spent your entire career researching and developing modular building systems. Imagine you gave the world radical new approaches to construction design and helped introduce the use of computer technology in architecture.

And then imagine that most people only know your name in connection with one office furniture system. An office furniture system that you developed once as part of one contract for one company based in one small village in Switzerland.

A system that despite its lowly origins became a global success and a universal by-word for simple, functional storage.

And publicly overshadowed all your efforts as an architect.

Such a fate is that of the Swiss architect Fritz Haller.

We’ve written at length in these pages about the USM Haller storage system. But much less about Fritz Haller and his architecture. Largely because there is so little reliable information. There is however one very reliable source, Dr. Georg Vrachliotis, interim professor for architectural theory at the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT).

Following an architecture degree at the UdK Berlin, Georg Vrachliotis studied philosophy at the TU Berlin. Finding his home in architectural theory Georg Vrachliotis undertook various positions at the Universities in Freiburg, Bremen and Berkeley and as a guest lecturer for architectural theory at the TU Vienna before arriving at the ETH Zürich where he completed his PhD on “Geregelte Verhältnisse. Architektur und Technisches Denken in der Epoche der Kybernetik” (Springer Wien/New York, 2011). Currently he is working on the research project “Fritz Haller, Researcher. A History of Abstraction in Architecture”.

In March 2012 Georg Vrachliotis organised the symposium “Fritz Haller. Architect and Researcher” in co-operation with the Chair for the Theory of Architecture at the ETH Zürich. Shortly afterwards we caught up with Georg Vrachliotis to discuss Fritz Haller, his architecture, his legacy, and why he is most famously remembered for System USM Haller. But started by asking how Georg himself first “discovered” Fritz Haller……

Georg Vrachliotis: My introduction was, as for so many people, through a certain piece of furniture, a piece of furniture which is omnipresent in Switzerland. What initially interested me was the person behind the furniture and the architecture behind the furniture. Fritz Haller was and is primarily an architect, not a furniture designer, and it was very quickly clear to me that he is very much a raw diamond in architecture history. Fritz Haller was in contact with Konrad Wachsmann, was in contact with Charles Eames, he developed various excellent construction systems, he developed his own software to help him plan his projects: but he passed more or less unnoticed through the history of architecture and so I started to take more interest in him.

(smow)blog: How did you then start polishing this rough diamond?

Georg Vrachliotis: Initially I worked in a fairly unsystematic fashion. In the first couple of years I travelled every few months to visit him at his home which resulted in a series of transcribed interviews which formed an initial, relatively unsystematic, biographical text. Then Fritz Haller offered the ETH Zürich his archive. That process started about two years ago, I was involved from the beginning and and that was then the start of the systematic research.

(smow)blog: “Fritz Haller’s Archive”, that sounds like a challenge….

Georg Vrachliotis: Especially when you consider that we have documentation from 50, 60 years work! Fortunately it’s all very well organised. Fritz Haller was a designer of systems, and so he naturally also developed a system for his archive…

(smow)blog: Designer of systems is a good keyword. Why systems?

Georg Vrachliotis: Fritz Haller’s systems were answers to questions he posed himself. Fritz Haller was never interested in the building as a fetish object, standing somewhere in the environment; rather he was always reflecting, re-evaluating and developing how one built. He would ask, what type of system can we develop? Then came a building. Then he developed the system further, and then came the next building and so on and so forth. Fritz Haller’s intention was, as he puts it, to develop systems that are completely flexible.

(smow)blog: One of the most flexible of these systems was and is his Mini/MidiMaxi construction systems. System is that still relevant today, or is it just a nice historical architectural artifact?

Georg Vrachliotis: Although in terms of industrial architecture, energy efficiency etc, we are much, much more advanced than we were then, the elegance with which one can combine the Mini/MidiMaxi systems is, I believe, still very relevant.

(smow)blog: If we see things correctly Fritz Haller only every built in Switzerland, we certainly can’t find any reference to any projects outwith Switzerland. Is that so and if so, do we know why? Was he not interested in working in other countries, did no one ask him…..

Georg Vrachliotis: It is the case that all his buildings are in Switzerland; however, why that is the case is currently an unanswered question. He certainly participated in numerous architecture competitions in Germany, albeit without success. I suspect that the answer as to “why” is to be found in the nature of the architect and engineer chambers of that time.

(smow)blog: But also in America. Fritz Haller spent six, seven years at Konrad Wachsmanns’s Institute for Building Research in California but seemingly didn’t construct anything?

Georg Vrachliotis: During his time in California he concentrated solely on fundamental research questions, work which only had very little to do with architecture as “buildings”. It was pure geometry research, assembly considerations, so how the various elements could be fitted together. Very basic research.

(smow)blog: In the late 1960s Fritz Haller’s research led him to develop a “Space Colony”, a “Space City”. Was that just playing about or can one see that as interesting and useful research?

Georg Vrachliotis: Fritz Haller was always very interested in the future, how will our world look in 20, 50 years and how can we prepare for that. He explored topics such as over-population, ecology, infrastructure or communication networks. In terms of the work he did at MIT on the “Space Colony”, I would say it was a systematic and strategic consideration. Fritz Haller was the opinion that if you were to go to a location such as space, a location where nothing is as it is on earth, and if you tried to develop architecture there, you would have the same problems we have on earth, just more intense, more radical. Consequently you have to pay much more attention to the details and much more precisely consider, for example, what is function, what is energy, what is context. And so in principle Fritz Haller went to space to be able to think better about earth.

(smow)blog: And briefly to end, why do we know Fritz Haller better for his furniture than his buildings?

Georg Vrachliotis: Fritz Haller never understood the architect as an author, was never interested in ideas of  “author architecture”. Fritz Haller developed systems and not buildings and so ultimately Fritz Haller himself was anonymous, the antithesis of the modern star architect. Through his work Fritz Haller evaporated as architect and only the structure remained.

Fritz Haller "Integral Urban - A Global Model" 1975 (Copyright Fritz Haller /gta Archiv ETH Zürich). About as far away from modular furniture systems as you can get.....

We suspect the reason we write so much about designer furniture in an airport context is simply because of the amount of time we spend in airports.

And consequently the amount of time we spend thinking about and analysing what we are being offered.

If you’re going to be delayed at Frankfurt for five hours. You want to make sure that your seat is comfy.

If you’re going to have to spend the night at Copenhagen Airport. You want to make sure your seat is comfy.

If you’re… you get the idea.

However it’s not just us who are spending ever more time at airports. The past decade has seen a dramatic rise in airline passenger numbers: and ever greater passenger numbers obviously means an ever greater demand for airports and airport infrastructure.

And as with all such architectural projects, the owners and operators want an interior that is as familiar as it is unique.

The biggest and most important trade fair for airport operators is Passenger Terminal Expo, and in addition to companies offering baggage handling and signage solutions, designer furniture producers such as Vitra or USM Haller are also a regular feature of the show.

Passenger Terminal Expo 2012 is being hosted by Vienna Airport, and ahead of the show we spoke to Pascal Berberat, Head of Vitra’s Airport Division, about airport furnishings, their collaboration with Alberto Meda and, most important for us, why seats in airports always have armrests? But started by asking why a globally active company such as Vitra needed a specialised airport division?

Pascal Berberat: The airport business is globally very uniform. Where, for example, the choice of home furnishings is often affected by cultural aspects; airports are very similar and have similar requirements regardless of where they are. And so where Vitra has an international network of agents and specialist dealers for home and office furniture, it makes more sense to have a central airport department. Plus an airport isn’t just departure lounges it is more like a small city, with shops, medical facilities, restaurants etc… so a wide range of zones where furniture is required. And so in that respect Vitra can offer a wide range of solutions and experience in all types of furnishings.

(smow)blog: Staying with departure lounges. What for you are the most important criteria for airport seating?

Pascal Berberat: For me it is about combining the, sometimes conflicting, requirements of the passengers need and right for well being with the airport or the operators need for efficiency.

(smow)blog: In that context. In addition to specifically created products such as the Airline Series from Sir Norman Foster, you also offer various Vitra classics from, for example, Maarten Van Severen as airport seating. Is that necessary? Why not just stick with one, specially created, product?

Pascal Berberat: Nowadays everybody is talking about ecology and sustainability. A topic which has been anchored in Vitra’s processes for decades. However, being actively engaged in sustainability doesn’t just mean using renewable resources, optimizing waste management, designing products with a long life cycle, etc. It is also about offering our clients products with a visual sustainability. We’re all guilty of having once thrown out an object that was still working or had been in good shape. We dumped it because it was out of fashion.
Through working with a variety of designers, in particular with the “old masters” like George Nelson, Jean Prouvé or Charles and Ray Eames we learn what is important to successfully develop products which are not only long lasting but also have a visual sustainability. Considering that 90% of CO2 emissions are generated during the manufacturing process of a product, what is more ecological: using a product for decades or replacing it every 5 years because it’s aesthetics seem to be outdated? Vitra’s history with the old masters combined with the freshness of  contemporary designers and engineers allow us to develop products with the potential to become classics of the future.

(smow)blog: Which leads nicely on to the next question. You recently worked with Alberto Meda on the Meda Gate series? Why Alberto Meda, who is after all best known for his office furniture ?

Pascal Berberat: Alberto Meda has worked on numerous projects with Vitra, and has created successful concepts for us in the past. Alberto Meda is a designer and engineer: which makes him perfect for the specific and particular demands of an airport seat. Thanks to Alberto Meda’s engineering excellence we now have in Meda Gate a product which not only responds to the extraordinary heavy use situation in airports; but also offers superior comfort in an very elegant aesthetic. Plus one has to add that in addition to his technical competence he is a very charismatic person and it is a real joy to work with him!

(smow)blog: To end. You’ve already said what you find important in airport chairs. Now its our turn. One thing that annoys us is armrests on chairs in airports. Why don’t you want to let us sleep?

Pascal Berberat: When people lie on benches at airports, one person takes up a whole bench. And then the airport’s capacity calculations don’t work. I have three seats, but only one user. And so instead we offer recliner elements within the Airline and Meda series for use in areas where airports expect higher numbers of transit passengers….

Vitra Airport Division. Here at Passenger Terminal Expo 2011 in Copenhagen

Meda Gate by Alberto Meda for Vitra

In addition to departure lounges airports also have VIP and Airline Lounges that need to be furnished. For example with Suita by Antonio Citterio.

On Thursday and Friday March 15th/16th the ETH Zurich is holding a two day symposium looking at the life and work of Fritz Haller.

And we won’t be there. Scunner.

There are a lot of reasons to want to be there; but the principle one for us is that despite his universally recognised System USM Haller, Fritz Haller himself remains something of an enigma. And so the chance to spend two days listening to experts discuss the man and his work in detail is technically something we shouldn’t miss.

But which other commitments mean that we, as we say, will.

For us one of the enigmas about Fritz Haller is that despite the universal nature of his architecture; he basically only worked in Switzerland. The USM facility in Bühl, Germany being one of his few “foreign” projects.

What makes this really indecipherable for us is that two of Fritz Haller’s most important professional experiences occurred outwith Switzerland: a year in Rotterdam working in the office of Willem van Tijen and nine years working at Konrad Wachsmann’s “Institute for Building Research” at the University of Southern California.

The first introducing him to the concept of functional town and building planning utilizing industrial methods for social good. The second allowing him to deepen his understanding of the theories and practices and refine his own approach.

Yet as we say you won’t find any buildings by Fritz Haller in any major cities. Why? We no know?

And although none of the contributions to “Fritz Haller. Architect and Researcher” deal directly with this question. We imagine that most will touch on aspects of the answer enabling participants to build a complete picture.

Motivation for the the symposium is the handing over of the Fritz Haller Archive to the ETH Zurich and in the words of organiser Dr. Georg Vrachliotis the idea is to “research celebrate” in that they directly deal with the material and the subject of the material.

As the title suggests the symposium will look at Fritz Haller’s work as both an architect and a researcher, including a detailed look at one of his earliest works, the Quartierschule in his home town of Solothurn and an analysis of Fritz Haller’s oeuvre in context of Konrad Wachsmann and his architectural philosophy. There is also an interesting sounding talk on the, allegedly, analogous mathematical approach of Fritz Haller and Max Bill.

And of course the most publicly accessible expression of Fritz Haller’s work, System USM Haller will also be covered; Zurich based architect Arthur Rüegg will discuss Fritz Haller’s early furniture design work, in the context of System USM Haller while Professor Monika Dommann will try to place System USM Haller in its historical context.

Which all sounds truly fascinating.

We hope that following the symposium there will be a publication of the texts, because, as we say, despite his unquestioning importance to 20th century European architecture and design, Fritz Haller remains strangely anonymous.

Full programme details and the complete programme can be found at www.stalder.arch.ethz.ch

The USM facility in Bühl, designed by Fritz Haller

System USM Haller. Here at the reception of USM, Bühl

As any one who has celebrated as many birthday’s as us knows – there comes a point in every life where you’re just not prepared to compromise on quality any more.

Be it your car, your choice of airline, your hair cut.

Or your office chair.

When starting out in life the vast majority of us put up with cheap, uncomfortable office chairs because its easier.

We know the quality isn’t brilliant. But we’re compromising

The same can be said for desks, desk lamps and filing cabinets.

Those days could soon have an end. (smow) are now offering a complete workspace at an exclusive package price.

The (smow) designer office furniture package – or the “Compromise Was Yesterday Kit” as we’re unofficially calling it in the blog team den – comprises a USM desk, USM Haller roll container, Vitra office chair and an Artemide Tolomeo Tavolo desk lamp.

The individual elements can be mixed and matched to meet your requirements; and regardless of what you choose the package price will come in at circa 8% lower than buying the items individually.

And if all items are in stock, you could be enjoying your new quality designer workspace within a matter of days.

Which is easier, more satisfying and ultimately better value for money than hiring a van and driving to an out of town warehouse…..

Full details can be found at www.smow.com/office-package.html

A possible combination of USM, Vitra and Artemide (Industrial staircase not included!)

Luddites!

Not a phrase normally associated with (smow)

To the best of our knowledge no (smow)employee has ever smashed an iPad or capped a WiFi service in protest at the creeping and increasingly obsessive proliferation of technology into our lives.

Despite that, the early summer weeks in the (smow)HQ were dominated by the preparation and production of the very first (smow)catalogue.

That’s print catalogue.

So on paper.

With ink.

Luddites?

Au contraire nos amis!

Not only is the production of such an analogue catalogue technologically more challenging than coding with that “any-fool-can-do” HTML; but, just as the mechanisation of the textile mills offered the oppressed masses their first, golden, taste of leisure time – so does a print catalogue help us to regain that.

Turn off the computer, enjoy a break, peruse a catalogue. And then turn the computer back on and order.

In addition to featuring a selection of products from the (smow) range the (smow) Designer Furniture Catalogue 2011 also includes biographical information on some of the most important designers and a range of specially commissioned photos of products from USM Haller, Vitra, Moormann, Richard Lampert et al

And is a mighty fine piece of work. Well done to all involved!

If you’d be interested in seeing the finished work, or know someone who would appreciate a copy, please contact service@smow.de (NOTE: It is only available in German)

And at facebook.com/smowcom we have posted a photo gallery documenting the production process.

(smow) Designer Furniture Catalogue 2011

One of the unseen aspects of the furniture industry is the relationship between dealer and producer.

For most people their only contact with a furniture dealer is when buying a new sofa. Or bookshelves.

And so most people assume that that it is all furniture shops do. Sell sofas. And bookshelves.

However an important part of a, quality, furniture shop’s business is concerned with larger scale contracts; for example fitting out offices, hotels or working with architects on a redevelopment project.

And in such cases a close co-operation with the producer is important to ensure everything runs smoothly.

But also for private customers buying individual items, it is important that your chosen dealer has a good relationship with your chosen producer. Problems can arise and when they do you want them solved in a quick and uncomplicated fashion. And that works best when the producer and dealer understand one another.

And so for (smow) maintaining a healthy relationship with their suppliers is just as important as keeping their customers happy.

Or indeed the (smow)blog crew fridge well stocked with cold Brötchen!

And so on a very, very, wet Saturday in May 2011 (smow) set off to visit USM Haller for a two day seminar and workshop.

In keeping with the (smow) philosophy it wasn’t just the sales team who made the trip. For just as every dispatch ready USM Haller sideboard is the result of a co-ordinated team effort, so to does the success or failure of a company like (smow) depend on everyone’s input, and so all were invited. Even IT.

On the condition that they drove.

Neuweier Weinwandertag 2011

The seminar started informally on Sunday with the annual Neuweier Weinwandertag – a delightful stroll through the vineyards of Neuweier. With regular tastings. Obviously.

Under the experienced leadership of the USM bosses we all safely negotiated our way around the 8km route before enjoying a pleasant buffet in a local hotel.

But it wasn’t all highly agreeable meals washed down with local wine.

On the Monday a joint USM Haller/(smow) workshop was staged at the USM HQ in Bühl. Over the course of the day a number of themes were discussed including how we could all work better together, what (smow) expect from USM and what USM expect from (smow).

At times the discussion did became “intense”, but only through such basic discussions can a relationship progress, and at the of the day all had the feeling that we had learned something and profited.

And then with the last of the brezels eaten and the coffee machine drunk dry, we bade our farewells and headed back to Leipzig.

What we learned from the seminar and workshop will be posted here in the coming months.

And what the (smow)team learned can be gleaned by simply requesting a quote for a USM Haller unit.

Full details of what can be done with USM Haller can be found at USM Haller individual.

And further photos from the (smow) USM Haller seminar and workshop can be found at facebook.com/smowcom

The USM Haller reception in Bühl

Bo Bech is a baker in Copenhagen.

Bo Bech bakes one kind of bread. It’s available in one size. At one price.

Bo Bech bakes one batch and when that batch is sold out he closes the shop.

As a business concept it could not be simpler.

Just try explaining it to an average German who has heart failure if presented with a choice of less than 17 types of bread.

A baker ? With one type of bread ? How does it survive !?!?

Which, to paraphrase the late Rabbi Lionel Blue, is a lot like USM Haller.

Every since the majority  of “design” stopped being something innovative created to improve our lives and became something modern created to make a profit, design has of course become something that needs to be renewed every few months.

Otherwise no one would buy it.

Perhaps the best example of this is apple where every couple of months Steve Jobs takes his lucky black roll neck pullover from the cupboard and proudly announces that the new iHype is there: 3% lighter, 2% blacker and with an integrated Old Norse dictionary.
And the assembled public are joyous that they now know the word gulr
But no one questions the sense of it all.
It is after all “design”

The furniture industry is of course just as guilty in this respect as all other branches of product design and the inevitable consequence of this policy can bee seen at IMM Cologne every January.

The counter weight is System USM Haller.

USM Haller produce one product, based around one chrome-plated brass ball.

A furniture maker ? With one product range ? How does it survive !?!?

It does what it does well.
OK and with the Haller tables it does have second important product range. Just imagine Bo also baked one kind of cake per day.

As with Bo Bech USM Haller simply offer the public a product that they want and understand at a fair price and always in the same, reliable, quality.

They don’t listen to trend analysts. Don’t try to move into markets outwith their ability. Don’t hire star designers to get good media coverage.

As a product System USM Haller has remained unchanged for neigh on 50 years and will continue to remain as it is for the next 50.

Perhaps the only things that has changed over the last four and a half decades is the public conceptions about where USM Haller units can be used.

Once the sole preserve of lawyers and engineers, today USM Haller is accepted in the home, in museums and libraries, in airports and hospitals.

Otherwise its very much case of “as you were”

Personally we’d be very happy if more designer furniture producers stopped following the German baking industry’s approach to product ranges and instead followed at least the spirit of  what we can learn from USM Haller – stick to what you can do, do it well and offer consumers functional products that work.

And wonderful as this analogy unquestionably is, please don’t try spreading jam on your USM Haller sideboard!

Bo Bech: Simplifying baking in Copenhagen

While critics denounce such as an easy and obvious way to generate content – for us reviewing the past year is an important step in planning our activities for the coming year: where to go, who to talk to, what to sit on and, just as importantly, what to ignore or give up.

The only real problem for us is that in preparing such we realise just how much material we haven’t had the chance to use – and so receive an impression of how much more material we will acquire in the coming year.

Heck!

Reading Table by Uli Budde @ Designers Fair 2010 Cologne

The year started, as ever, with IMM and Designers Fair in Cologne. Aside from the opportunity to roll out a few anti-carnival gags the trip introduced us to some wonderful new products/designers, specifically; Uli Budde, Christian Lessing, Martin Neuhaus, Alexander Gufler, maigrau, Tim Baute etc, etc, etc…

A further highlight was the introduction of Herbert Hirche’s Interbau 57 armchair through Richard Lampert.

Negative was the lack of innovation and – if we’re honest – quality on display at IMM. For Germany’s most important furniture trade fair it just simply wasn’t good enough.

Let’s see what IMM 2011 brings.

In February we were then on much safer ground with the opening of the VitraHaus on the Vitra Campus in Weil am Rhein and a visit to the MoormannHaus in Aschau in Chiemgau.

Moormann Haus, Aschau in Chiemgau

Aside from the way the VitraHaus majestically appears before you, for us the real joy is the decision to include “non-Vitra” items in the displays – very much in the spirit of Charles and Ray Eames‘ “Collage” principle of interior design.

If we did have one wish for 2011 it would be that rather than only including established designers, that Vitra include one or the other design from a young designer or two in the VitraHaus exhibition space.

VitraHaus is big enough to give young talent a chance.

While the MoormannHaus is every bit as spectacular a piece of architecture as Vitra’s, the real highlight of the trip to Aschau was Berge - the Moormann auberge

Much more than a delightful base for a trip to the Bavarian Alps – Berge is much more a wonderful introduction to the Moormann philosophy.

In March (smow)airport systems premiered their range of USM Haller based airport solutions at the Passenger Terminal Expo 2010 in Brussels. Created in cooperation with USM Haller , (smow) airport systems have developed a range of solutions for both operative, Lounge and Retail areas of airports – solutions that were very well received by the PTE visitors.

The company name and structure may have changed since PTE 2010 but we will be at PTE 2011 in Copenhagen to both follow the development of the project as well as to report on other developments in airport / public area furniture world.

Full house in the (smow)room for the Leipzig Buchmesse readings

Back in Leipzig March is Buchmesse and March 2010 saw the most successful series of readings ever in the (smow)room in Burgplatz.

Ever!

Starting with Grillsaison from Philipp Kohlhöfer and then moving on over “New voices from Switzerland” to “Meine Frau will einen Garten” by Gerhard Matzig the three readings provided three very different if equally enjoyable experiences.

More so in 2011 !

At Orgatec 2010 we spoke to USM Haller CEO Alexander Schärer about the company’s return to Orgatec after a 12 year absence, their new “Living Essentials” collection and what his own office looks like….

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What would Christmas be without hats?
Father Christmas, his elves, Bing Crosby, Frank Sinatra, Dave Hill…. Even the shepherds and wise men.
All bemillinered.

And so what could be a more festive gift than a hat rack and/or hooks.

Hut Ab by Konstantin Grcic for Moormann

Hut Ab by Konstantin Grcic for Moormann

Hut Ab is both German for “Hats Off” and a genial space saving coat and hat rack by Konstatin Grcic. When not in use Hut Ab can be folded flat and stored.
When in use, Hut Ab offers numerous options for hanging and holding coats, hats, scarves, elves etc…

Hut Ab is available from Moormann in untreated ash or oiled walnut.

Nymphenburg by Otto Blümel through ClassiCon

Nymphenburg by Otto Blümel through ClassiCon

For those who prefer their hat stands a little more classic Otto Blümel’s 1908 Nymphenburg is a wonderful example of late Art Nouveau design. From 1907-1914 Otto Blümel was head of the illustration department at the Vereinigten Werkstätten für Kunst im Handwerk zu München – at the time one of the most important collections of artisans in southern Germany – and it was during this period that Nymphenburg was designed.

Created from nickel-plated brass Nymphenburg passes just as well in a classically styled villa as in a modern loft.

Hang it All by Charles and Ray Eames through Vitra

Hang it All by Charles and Ray Eames through Vitra

One of the true design classics Hang it All from Charles and Ray Eames was initially developed to encourage children to “Hang All” their belongings up – but it wasn’t long before adults were also drawn to its infectious good humour. A lot larger than you may imagine, Hang it All is perfect for all those looking for an informal hat storage solution.

The USM Haller hat rack

USM Haller Hat Rack.

The true beauty of the USM Haller system is its flexibility. Once you have at least one USM Haller unit your further options are truly only limited by your imagination. And the USM Haller hat rack – a (smow) speciality – is the perfect gift for all hat wearing USM Haller fans. Crafted from standard USM Haller components the USM Haller hat rack can not only be extended to allow storage of coats and scarves – but can also be effortlessly incorporated into any future USM Haller sideboards.

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