Visionary living in 1968
Living in a modular construction system – Solothurn-based architect Fritz Haller designed the Schärer house for Paul Ulrich Schärer, then owner of USM U. Schärer Söhne AG, in 1968 using the USM Haller MINI steel construction system.
When the engineer Paul Schärer, owner of USM U. Schärer Söhne AG, and the Solothurn-based architect Fritz Haller, researcher and pioneer of modular construction systems, met in the technology and progress-friendly 1960s, a creative cooperation was born. Together, they developed the three building block and installation systems MINI, MIDI, MAXI as well as USM Modular Furniture Haller. Haller therefore built the company building (1963) and office pavilion (1965) on the USM site in Münsingen, followed by the Schärer family’s private residence on a steep slope with spectacular views all round. This is known by everyone as the “Buchli”, short and sweet, after the property’s field name. The Schärer family completed a meticulous overall renovation of their former residence.
Blueprints for modern living
Based on a square grid, the construction system creates an open, usage-neutral space featuring a fireplace suspended from the ceiling that beautifully compliments the equally asymmetrical spiral staircase and is the only sculptural feature. The built-in cabinets and central kitchen units were designed by Haller; even the free-standing fireplace fits into the grid. The kitchen opens up into the living area.
“Wide-ranging views all around. And behind the Alps, the sea – this knowledge fascinated me as a child. But even with these amazing views, I could still sense an ambivalent tension. It became increasingly clear to me that you first have to get over the mountains before you can reach the sea.”
A pioneering home
The Schärer house was Fritz Haller’s first residential project to be based on a prefabrication system. Located on a slope, the living space rests on stilts. Glass panels between these create an all-round impression of transparency and lightness. Positioned parallel to the slope, the rooms on the top floor of the house face the Aare river basin and open up in all directions.
At home with steel
By commissioning Haller to build not only his factory and office but also his private residence, Paul Schärer demonstrated his desire for Haller’s construction method, at the time new in every regard, to shape even his family life. “New” meant living in a steel construction made with elements from the USM MINI system with glass infills instead of any conventional separation into living and bedroom areas, with no rooms with doors and with no windows that could be opened. Although this may not seem particularly spectacular by today’s standards considering the many different styles of homes and forms of living, but in the early 1970s, it was a bold move.
The prefabricated steel structure was erected just two weeks into the build.
“The Schärer house is a key work in Fritz Haller’s oeuvre. It reflects the entire spectrum of questions covered by his work, which ranges from basic geometric research to furniture construction, modular construction systems and the planning of global city models.”