About Quonset Huts

Quonset huts are prefabricated, corrugated steel buildings with a semicircular shape that resembles a tin can, cut in half. What the gray or camouflage-colored huts lack in design, they make up in function as housing and storage. Their highly adaptable nature, combined with the ease of assembly and transport, made Quonset huts popular with the U.S. military during WWII. Today, Quonset huts function as commercial, educational and recreational facilities.

History

Trace the assembly of Quonset huts to the Davisville Naval Construction Battalion Center at Quonset Point, Rhode Island. During WWII, armed forces required temporary shelters that were easy to make and ship and more comfortable than the platform tents in use at the time. The Navy found the solution in an adapted version of the Nisson hut, a prefabricated steel building created by the British in WWI. After a series of improvements that included insulated interior panels and wood flooring, the George A. Fuller Construction Company assembled the first Quonset huts in 1941.

Function

Find inspiration in the many purposes of Quonset huts. The buildings originally served as barracks, bakeries, isolation wards, latrines, medical facilities and administrative offices. After the war, the military sold or auctioned the huts to organizations and the public. For instance, Iowa State and Michigan State universities used the buildings as dormitories. Researchers lived in Quonset huts while conducting the first observations at the National Solar Observatory in Sunspot, New Mexico. Citizens repurposed the buildings for residential use as in the case of historic Daniel House at Knoxville, Tennessee. Today, Quonset huts function as garages, airplane hangers, livestock and equipment stores, museums and gymnasiums.

Significance

Appreciate the Quonset hut as a wartime innovation that played a vital second role in U.S. culture. Most of the structures deteriorated, yet those that remain are a symbol of American pragmatism--dotting the landscape as churches, radio stations and retail stores, according to the editors of "Quonset: Metal Living for a Modern Age." The design is so enduring that it was recently featured on an episode of "The Engines of Our Ingenuity," a public radio program that explained how the huts shaped our culture. Not to mention, several online community groups, such as the Recent Past Preservation Network, promote preservation of Quonset huts.

Benefits

Compare the advantages of Quonset huts to traditional construction. Modern Quonset huts are produced in a factory-controlled environment that increases the likelihood of precision as opposed to site-built structures that are vulnerable to human error and weather delays. Quonset huts are assembled quickly. Servicemen erected the original buildings in less than 10 hours. Modern huts are installed in half the time of stick-built structures even with customization. The total cost of ownership is also less than a traditional structure because huts require less maintenance.

Considerations

Select a Quonset hut according to usage, budget and location. The building style should meet a buyer''s needs, and the two most common styles are semicircular and straight wall. The semicircular design holds more weight yet limits storage space at the sides. The straight-wall design provides more vertical space, but costs more with the addition of windows and overhangs. Budget also determines whether buyers order the less-expensive "do-it-yourself" kits and assemble the structure or hire a contractor to install--a more costly option. Location is another concern because zoning laws may prohibit the installation of Quonset huts.

Resources

• Quonset Huts at the Naval History and Heritage Command
• Quonset: Metal Living for a Modern Age
• Engines of Our Ingenuity