Editing Quonset hut (section)

== Design and history ==
The first Quonset huts were manufactured in 1941 when the [[United States Navy]] needed a lightweight, all-purpose building that could be shipped anywhere and assembled without skilled labor.<ref>{{cite web |title=Quonset Hut Manuals |url=https://www.history.navy.mil/content/history/museums/seabee/explore/online-reading-room/Publications/quonset-hut-manuals0.html |website=United States Navy Seabee Museum |access-date=14 June 2024}}</ref> They could be assembled in a day by a 10-person team using only hand tools.<ref name="Vara">{{cite web |url=https://www.jlconline.com/how-to/roofing/a-brief-history-of-quonset-huts_o |last=Vara |first=Jon |title=A Hut for All Seasons: A Brief History of Quonset Huts |date=June 1, 2010 |website=[[Journal of Light Construction]] |location=Huntington Beach, California |publisher=[[Zonda Home]] |access-date=July 24, 2024}}</ref>

The [[George A. Fuller]] construction company manufactured them, and the first was produced within 60 days of signing the contract.<ref>{{cite news |title=Quonset Huts |url=http://www.polarinertia.com/may04/quonset01.htm |access-date=22 June 2024 |publisher=Polar Inertia Journal |date=May–June 2004}}</ref> In 1946, the [[Great Lakes Steel Corporation]] claimed "the term 'Quonset,' as applied to builders and building materials, is a trade mark owned by the Great Lakes Steel Corporation."<ref>"Not 'Quonset'", ''The Dunn County News'', March 13, 1946, p.1</ref> But the word is often used [[Generic trademark|generically]]. Today similar structures are made by many contractors in countries around the world.

The original design was a {{convert|16|x|36|ft|m|adj=on}} structure framed with steel members with an {{convert|8|ft|m|adj=on}} radius. The most common design created a standard size of {{convert|20|x|48|ft|m}} with a {{convert|16|ft|m|adj=on}} radius{{dubious|reason=If a hemi-cylinder has a 20 foot width, then I'd expect its radius to be 10 feet.|date=August 2022}}, allowing {{convert|960|sqft|m2}} of usable floor space with optional {{convert|4|ft|m|adj=on}} overhangs at each end for protection of entrances from the weather. Other sizes were developed, including {{convert|20|x|40|ft|m|adj=on}} and {{convert|40|x|100|ft|m|adj=on}} warehouse models.<ref name =ONE>Michael Lamm (Winter 1998), [https://www.inventionandtech.com/content/instant-building-1 "The Instant Building"]. ''Invention & Technology'', Volume 13, Issue 3, pp. 68–72. Retrieved 28 May 2020.</ref>

The sides were corrugated steel sheets, and the two ends were covered with [[plywood]] which had doors and windows. The interior was insulated and had [[pressed wood|pressed-wood]] lining and a wood floor. The building could be placed on concrete, on [[Deep foundation|pilings]], or directly on the ground with a wood floor. The original design used low-grade steel, which was later replaced by a more rust-resistant version. The flexible interior space was open, allowing use as [[barracks]], [[latrine]]s, medical and dental offices, [[isolation ward]]s, housing, and bakeries.

Between 150,000 and 170,000 Quonset huts were manufactured during World War II, and the military sold its surplus huts to the public after the war.<ref name =ONE/> Many remain standing throughout the United States as outbuildings, businesses, or even homes, and they are often seen at military museums and other places featuring World War II memorabilia. Many were also used around the United States for temporary postwar housing, such as [[Rodger Young Village]] for veterans and their families in [[Los Angeles]], [[California]], and the Quonset Park complex of married student housing at the [[University of Iowa]].<ref>https://spectator.uiowa.edu/2010/january/oldgold.html "Temporary Housing: Not Much, But It's Home", ''University of Iowa Spectator''</ref> Some are still in active use at United States military bases. The [[U.S. Department of Energy]] continues to use Quonset huts as supporting structures (fabrication and machine shops, warehouses, etc.) at the [[Nevada National Security Site]]. The repurposed huts were common enough that [[Sherwin-Williams]] introduced a line of paint called "Quon-Kote" specifically designed to stick to the metal structures.<ref name=Vara/>