The Metal Buildings of Today Had Their Beginnings in Quonset Huts
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by: fredthompson
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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. The U.S. military developed portable iron and wood Quonset huts after using the Nissan hut designed by the British during the first World War. The hut is named after Quonset Point, where it was first created in Rhode Island. Because of their simple yet strong iron arc structure, Quonset huts offered a very efficient use of interior space. The huts were shipped easily to various locations and used for restrooms, living quarters, hospitals, hangars and mess halls. 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 then, Quonset huts not produced by the military have been manufactured and utilized for a plethora of commercial and residential 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 design was later reconfigured with short straight walls on the side that made sense for uses that could not utilize the curved space on the original design. The design change actually allowed the structures to break down even smaller and made it lighter to ship. 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.
The same portability and ease of construction concept that made Quonset huts so invaluable to the U.S. military is why steel buildings are such an attractive option for residential and commercial uses today. Like Quonset huts, the current metal buildings are super easy to put together and do not require special tools or knowledge. 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 live on. Citation Metal garage |
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Find more info on quonset huts, read PowerBiltBuildings.com.
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