From acronym to global brand

In 1946, sports fan Odd Roar Lofterød Sr. founded the ODLO company in Norway. At the time, he would never have dreamed that, decades later, his company’s headquarters would be in Switzerland, equipped with Swiss furniture. But there are significant parallels between the two heritage design houses: ODLO and USM. For example, the founders of both companies each chose a concise and catchy brand name based on their own names – Odd Lofterød and Ulrich Schärer Münsingen. Functional sportswear is the textile company’s core business. Functional is also a word that applies to USM Modular Furniture in every respect. The heads of ODLO chose USM because of its adaptability and quality. Today, the company is 100% Swiss, but they still love to reflect on their Norwegian roots. “Scandinavian Swissness” is a term you could use to characterize their guiding principle: innovation and quality combined with simplicity and style. This is also expressed in their headquarters, which impresses with its size and elegance. Designed by the architect Nils Lofterød, the grandson of ODLO’s founder. Long live family tradition.

ODLO International AG, Hünenberg (Switzerland)
Workspace for 100 people
Furniture: USM Haller in pure white, USM Haller tables in pearl gray laminate
Sales partner: Bruno Wickart AG, Zug (Switzerland)
Architect: LOFTERØD STOJANOVIC ARCHITEKTEN, Zurich (Switzerland)

Visit http://www.usm.com/en-us/architects/ and read more interesting stories about projects that feature USM furniture.