Quonset huts are prefabricated lightweight structures, usually made of galvanized iron, and having a semi circular cross section. They are named after Quonset Point, at the Davisville Naval Construction Battalion Center in Davisville, Rhode Island, where they were first manufactured. They were developed in 1941 for use by the US Army as multi utility lightweight structures that could be set up anywhere with minimum effort. Invented and patented by Cyril R. B. Harding, Quonset huts thus have a significant role to play in the war efforts.
Quonset huts, as originally designed, had sides corrugated with steel sheets. The ends were covered with plywood, and had doors and windows, while the floor inside was wooden. Quonset huts formed a compact, versatile unit that had the capability of being placed anywhere at all. Their multi purpose structures found use as barracks, offices, ammunition dumps, housing, latrines, among many others. After the war, surplus Quonset huts were sold off by the army to the public.
Quonset huts, which had been created as an answer to an urgent necessity for the war efforts turned out to be a highly effective answer for the very pressing people of housing people in times of peace. Quonset huts were found to be an effective means of providing cheap housing on a mass scale. Quonset huts were cheap and easy to build, and could be set up virtually anywhere. Quonset huts were in many ways the perfect kind of housing solution that people were looking for, because they were space efficient, efficient, economic, multi purpose, practical and could serve the problem of cheap and effective housing for potentially thousands of people. Right now, there exist several varieties of Quonset huts, such as the original or T Bone structure, the Stran Steel model which is larger and lighter than the original, and the Redesign model that uses a two sectional arch that saves more wall space. There exist many other structures which make use of the basic design of the Quonset huts and differ only on minor counts, such as the size or construction material, proving the versatile nature of the design and functionality of the original.
Quonset huts are no longer just a part of the illustrious history of the Second World War, but a very real and unutilized potential for solving housing problems the world over. Quonset huts can be manufactured and put in place with minimal effort and minimal cost, but provide effective housing and storage solutions for a variety of purposes, which was what they had initially been designed for, after all. Quonset huts are sturdy and durable, and are fit in every way for this purpose. Rather than using them simply for camping out in desolate places, Quonset huts can easily be manufactured in bulk to provide shelter for possibly thousands of people who cannot afford to live in the heart of the cities. Nowadays, with the cities and even the suburbs becoming overcrowded, and with the prohibitive expenses involved in having traditional houses, Quonset huts ought to be looked upon as an extremely practical and effective tool in tackling the problem. Similar Entries Metal garage - Metal storage sheds - Metal building kits -

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