The multi purpose utility of Quonset huts
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by: fredthompson
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Quonset huts are lightweight structures of galvanized iron and shaped like a semi circular tunnel, pre constructed for placement where they are needed. They are named after Quonset Point, at the Davisville Naval Construction Battalion Center in Davisville, Rhode Island, where they were first manufactured. In 1941, the US Army needed an all purpose, lightweight building that could be shipped anywhere and assembled without skilled labor for use in the Second World War. Quonset huts were developed for this purpose, being invented and patented by Cyril R. B. Harding specifically for this purpose.
Quonset huts, as originally designed, had sides corrugated with steel sheets. Their semi circular ends were wooded, as were their floors. Quonset huts formed a compact, versatile unit that had the capability of being placed anywhere at all. They were initially used as barracks, ammunition dumps, offices, latrines, housing, and for several other purposes. 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. The advantages of the Quonset huts that had made so useful in the war as mass production shelters made them equally effective for this purpose as well. Quonset huts were easy enough to manufacture and transport, easier to set up everywhere. 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. Since the war, many variations of the original or T Bone Quonset huts have come about adapting them to different purposes as required, such as the Redesign model which makes use of a different structure for the semi circular arch so that beds and furniture no longer have to be shifted away from the wall towards the interior, and the Stran Steel model which are made of lightweight steel and are far more spacious than the original, while being much lighter. 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.
Far from being just historical architectural antique pieces, Quonset huts have a huge potential for use even in modern times. 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 make efficient use of space, are sturdy and durable, and can provide a very efficient way of living in the modern age. Quonset huts are more than something that eccentric individuals will choose as homes in remote outbacks, but something that can easily be mass produced for people for whom it is not a viable option to rent apartments in 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. Citation Steel arch buildings Steel aircraft hangars
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