Versatile Quonset Huts
January 20th, 2010 by adminQuonset huts, originally a product of World War II ingenuity, are as iconic as the roadside diner. The huts were originally developed by the Navy Seabees by modifying the British Nissen hut design to include wooden lining, insulation and tongue and groove wooden flooring. These structures successfully addressed the need for lightweight, portable troop and equipment housing that could be quickly assembled in the field with nothing more than hand tools. Quonset huts were so successful that returning soldiers purchased the surplus for their own post war housing, and universities purchased them for student housing. Some of these huts are still in use today.
The initial Quonset huts design included arched steel rib members constructed in a T design and supported by wooden purlins. Flaws in this design soon surfaced when the military began converting Quonset huts to uses other than troop housing and equipment storage. These uses included showers, latrines, dental offices, bakeries and isolation wards, but the huts needed special layouts to accommodate these additional uses and related equipment. The military modified the Quonset hut design to include vertical side walls supporting an arched roof; this layout provided much more usable space.
Modern Quonset huts offer 100 percent usable space by not utilizing beams or trusses in their design. Their arched steel construction makes them one of the strongest structures in architecture; they can withstand hurricanes, tornadoes, heavy rain, snow and wind. Because of their strength, farmers find Quonset huts ideal for storing hay, grain, crops and machinery; some even use the huts to house horses and livestock.
Large Quonset huts also make fine, inexpensive airplane hangars. You can save money on labor costs by constructing your hangar yourself; all huts come with an easy to follow assembly manual that clearly illustrates how to connect the individual steel panels into a structure large enough to house a small airplane and related maintenance equipment. You receive the same level of security and protection for your investment by using a Quonset hut rather than outsourcing the materials and work.
Quonset huts have evolved from combat field housing and storage structures to versatile civilian buildings suitable for just about any purpose. There are Quonset hut kits for backyard workshops and machinery storage and light industrial and commercial structures; you can even convert a kit into a guest cottage, if you like. Accessories like skylights, windows and doors can turn a Quonset hut into a home.