What Are Quonset Huts?
A Quonset hut is light in weight and it is made up of the prefabricated structure. The prefabricated material is made up of corrugated galvanized iron. These huts are much similar to Nissen huts and their designs are also based on Nissen huts.
During the First World War Nissen huts were designed by the British. First Quonset hut was manufactured at Quonset point therefore, these huts are named so. Quonset Point is located in a village in North Kingstown, Rhode Island. Quonset hut was designed when the United States Navy needed simple buildings in 1941, which could be designed without any skilled labor. A renowned construction company; George A. Fuller was given the contract of Quonset hut. The company designed a simple Quonset hut within 60 days of contract.
The original Quonset hut had16 by 36 ft or 5 by 11 m structure. The earlier Quonset hut was framed with steel members with an 8 ft or about 2.4 m radius. For making Quonset hut stronger the ridged steel sheets were used. The doors and the windows of the hut were made up of plywood. The interior of Quonset hut was kept isolated to stop rain. In addition, the interior of the house had pressed wood lining and a wood floor. The old Quonset hut could be placed on wooden flood, concrete or pilings floors.
With time Quonset huts became popular among the public as well. The Quonset hut designed today usually has a standard size of 20 by 48 ft or 6 by 15 m with 10 ft or 3 m radius.
The size of the floor space is about 720 square feet or 67 m². In all of the entrances there are optional four foot overhands. This shows that these houses are very comfortable and protective from weather conditions. Because of the different requirements of the people, Quonset hut is also available with 20 by 40 ft or 6 by 12 m and 40 by 100 ft or 12 by 30 m.
Quonset hut is also in demand because it has flexible interior space. The interior space is open and it can be also used as barracks, latrines, housing, bakeries, medical or offices. During Second World War 150,000 to 170,000 Quonset were manufactured. At the end of the war the United States military sold the huts to the public for $1000 each. Some Quonset huts are still used for commercial buildings in United States. Therefore, Quonset hut is a simple hut and it is very useful for various purposes.
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by: fredthompson
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