What Are Quonset Huts?

Throughout WWII, almost 200,000 Quonset huts were produced in the United States. The Navy spurred the production of so many Quonset huts, because they needed portable sturdy buildings that could be put in place without construction crews. Quonset huts are prefabricated semi circular structures that were modeled after similar structures created by the British in WWI. The buildings were initially manufactured in Quonset Point, Rhode Island. Quonset huts had the advantage of a lot of open space inside, due to the galvanized iron cross section design. The flexibility and simplicity of the huts allowed the military to have immediate solid structures for medical facilities, vehicle repair shops, barracks and storage. They offered a step up from the combination of tents and wooden platforms that were previously used for such purposes. The Quonset huts produced during the war were sold to the general populations for about $1000 each after the war. Since WWII, many companies have produced buildings modeled after Quonset huts for many different uses.
The metal buildings you see today had their beginnings in the design of Quonset huts. One of the big problems with the semi circular design on Quonset huts, was that it was difficult to place square items flush to the wall on the floor. The structure was later altered to have walls at 90 degree angles, which eliminated the wasted space of the original curved wall design. An added bonus of the new design was that the components of the structure disassembled into more pieces and was not as heavy. And the curved arc frame introduced by the advent of Quonset huts is still used by a lot of the current portable steel building manufacturers.
How easy it was for unqualified people to put the structures together and the fact that the Quonset huts could be packed up and shipped easily are the qualities that make the metal buildings of today so advantageous for consumers. Steel buildings, much like Quonset huts, can be assembled with a handful of people without special equipment. Steel buildings are used for a wide variety of commercial and residential purposes. They serve as hangars, auto repair shops, hobby shops and equipment storage. They are more economical than traditional buildings and require little maintenance. The Quonset huts are the great grandparents of the metal buildings of today.

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