Fritz Haller

Background

Fritz Haller (born 23 October 1924 in Solothurn, died 15 October 2012 in Bern) was a Swiss architect and furniture designer, the son of the architect Bruno Haller. After an apprenticeship as a draughtsman (1941–1943) he worked for several Swiss architects and from 1948/49 for van Tijen en Maaskant in Rotterdam. From 1949 he practised independently in Solothurn, until 1962 together with his father.

Signature Style

Haller is regarded as a pioneer of industrial building and integrated planning in Switzerland and, with Franz Füeg, Max Schlup, Alfons Barth and Hans Zaugg, as a leading figure of the Solothurn School. His focus was the constant adaptability, extensibility and changeability of his systems, which he always conceived as kits of parts.

Notable Works

• USM factory and office building, Münsingen (project 1961)
• USM Haller furniture system with Paul Schärer Jr. (developed from 1962; final design and ball-joint patent 1965 according to USM)
• Building systems USM Haller Mini, Midi and Maxi
• Kantonsschule Baden (1962–1964), Schärer House, Münsingen (1969), SBB training centre Löwenberg, Murten (1980–1982)
• Research projects Totale Stadt (1968, 1975) and the Armilla installation model (from 1982)

Legacy

Haller worked at Konrad Wachsmann's building research institute in Los Angeles (1966–1971) and taught as professor at the University of Karlsruhe from 1977. USM Haller entered MoMA's permanent collection in 2001, and parts from the early 1960s can still be combined with new ones today.