Article taken from the July 2022 issue of Forbes Italia.Subscribe!There is only one constant in life, the only anchor in a sea of ​​uncertainty: change.Among the first realities to understand it, in the world of furniture, was Usm Modular Furniture, a historic Swiss company founded in 1885 in the green plateaus of the town of Münsingen, not far from Bern.Today managed by Alexander Schärer and Judith Stuber-Schärer, fourth generation of the founding family, Usm was a pioneer of modular systems and transforming furniture, for the home but also for the office.Furniture made to change and to model itself around the passing of time and the changing of life, the evolution of needs and desires.A design philosophy, one devoted to modularity, which led Usm to the creation of one of the icons of world design exhibited at the permanent collection of the MoMA in New York: the Usm Haller modular shelving system, made up of modular elements made of sheet steel colored inserted in a structure made of chromed tubes and ball joints.A functional furniture, useful for filing documents but also for storing objects, things, ideas, a symbol of an essential design, rigorous in its strong geometries but also light and hybrid, to be transformed according to evolving needs.An eternal and eternally contemporary piece of furniture.Designed in 1965 by Paul Schärer in collaboration with Fritz Haller, one of the leading exponents of functionalist architecture in Switzerland, it still continues to exert its timeless charm today, conquering designers and interior designers who choose it to outline liquid, changing environments.Over the years, Usm Haller has become the emblem of the company's values ​​and objectives: the desire to give shape to resilient furnishings, sustainable precisely because they are designed to last a lifetime and beyond, which accompany the transformations of the home and of those who live there. .To make them resistant are materials chosen and tested with care - each hinge is opened and closed 40 thousand times to ensure that it always remains silent - and attention to detail, worked by craftsmen supported by cutting-edge robotic systems.The result is shelves, tables, partitions, desks and display cabinets capable of adapting to changing lifestyles, just as they have changed in recent years, when for example the office unexpectedly entered everyone's homes.Fritz Haller was the first to imagine the end of the classic division of domestic spaces - and therefore the entrance of the office into the house - when he designed the Buchli in the 1960s, the glass and steel house that was the historic home of the Schärer family .So nicknamed from the name of the town of Münsingen in which it stands, a slope from which it is possible to admire the plain of the Aare, it was the first residential building in which the Usm Haller Mini system was used, among other things, then replicated only in three other buildings throughout Switzerland.Born from the partnership between Paul Schärer and Fritz Haller - both lovers of the modernism of Le Corbusier and Mies Van der Rohe - that of Buchli is also the story of a shared, powerful and innovative vision, capable of interpreting the spirit of the time and extending the look towards the future.Because upon entering the building one is struck by the feeling of immersing oneself in the mind of Fritz Haller, perceiving his idea of ​​transferring the world of the office into the home, thus anticipating the new habit of working remotely, in smart working by more than half a century. , in an environment very similar to that of the office.What made the Buchli so special was its conformation, which revolved around the elimination of the division between the living and sleeping areas: the rooms had no doors and there was not even a trace of windows that could be opened.The distinctive element was represented by the steel structure formed by modular components, which would have allowed a substantial modification of the plan of the house at any time, especially thanks to the possibility of moving the walls, constituted by the Usm Haller system.Today, the Buchli is accessible to the guests of the company (but not only) thanks to the conservative recovery of the spaces - faithful to the originals in the form and materials used - which has transformed the residence into a guest house and location for events, meetings and business meetings.Those staying in the Buchli will also be able to experience the Kochwerkstatt restaurant, built in the same place that housed the first blacksmith's workshop belonging to the first generation of the Usm company.An architectural jewel that opens to the public to tell a story of visionary minds and great intuition.For other contents subscribe to the Forbes.it newsletter HERE.Welcome to Forbes Italia, the Italian edition of the most famous business magazine in the world.Inside our legendary rankings, the secrets of today's and tomorrow's leaders, strategies for success, style tips to always be at the top.Every day for 100 years, Forbes has opened the doors to the global business community for you.BFC Media SpA Via Melchiorre Gioia n.55 20124 MilanRegistered in the Companies Register of Milan REA n.MI-1489853 VAT number 11673170152