Quonset Hut: Improvements and Modifications

Improvements and Redesigns

Improvements to the Huts at the level of manufacturing were ongoing. The manufactures were concerned with not only the construction of the huts in the factory and their performance on the field, but also with the method of transportation. Crating the T-Rib Quonsets huts originally “required twelve crates, which, even without the contents, weighed 3,212 pounds.” In contrast, a new crating process revealed to Admiral Morrell utilized eliminated all but three of the original twelve crates.¹

The first major redesign of the Quonset introduced a new steel framing system as well as a new interior shape. The T-Rib was abandoned, and in its place the Stran-Steel system, “essentially two lightweight steel channels that are welded back to back to form an I-shaped member,” between which a serpentine shaped grooved allowed the use of friction held nails instead of bolts to be used. Stran-Steel’s framing system was lighter in weight compared to the T-Rib and faster to erect, and outperformed the T-Rib when field tested.²

In order to better make use of floor space, the roof Quonset was also redesigned to have a segmented arch instead of a full arch. This allowed equipment up to four feet tall to be placed next to walls without creating unusable floor space.³ However, when the production of Quonsets was handed completely from Fuller to Stran-Steel, the design was changed again. The design reverted back to the full arch, the sacrifices in floor space was justified by “the ease of fabrication and erection, its small size when crated (270-325 cubic feet versus the 450 cubic feet required for the [1^st] Redesign), and lighter shipping weight.”⁴ This perfected version of the Quonset hut could be put up in one day by ten men with only hand tools, required no special skills to construct, and took less shipping space than canvas tents with wooden floors and frames when crated.⁴

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T-Rib Quonset Hut - 16' x 36' and 16' x 20'. It was most closely designed to the Nissen Hut. Before being redesigned around 8200 huts were built.

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Quonset Redesign - 16' x 36' and 24' x 60'. The new design included vertical 4 foot sidewalls for better use of space, and modified arch. Around 25000 Redesign huts were built.

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Stran-Steel Quonset - 20' x 48' and 20' x 56'. The last major redesign in 1943 was less expensive, faster to built and easier to transport due to its light weight.

Erection of a Redesign hut.

Modifications

The simplicity of the Quonset Hut’s designs have allowed it to be successful in many climates. Although there are many different models of the structure, the same principles apply to each: the arc shape and efficient production, transport, assembly and disassembly.

Quonset Huts proved to be well suited to their military lives in tropical climates. The arc shape of the building and the lack of roof overhangs allowed the winds of tropical storms to pass over them without damaging them. The tendency to acquire high temperatures inside the small structures was combated by simply raising the huts off the ground with concrete blocks to encourage airflow beneath the structure. Raising the huts also aided in the case of floods, keeping the floor inside of the hut dry and above water. Unfortunately, the life span of the huts was short after the war ended because flying debris in Typhoons and corrosion from years of heavy tropical rain easily damaged the tin exterior of Quonset Huts.

On the other hand, the building was easily adapted to suit cold climates. The metal ribbing was substituted with wood to discourage the transfer of heat from inside to out. Adding an extra layer of building paper and flooring kept the interior from becoming damp. Because flooding was not an issue, ground could be piled against the sides of the Quonset hut to a height of 3 feet to protect the huts interior from the effect of a distant hit. The corrugated metal roofing was successful in allowing the snow to slide off the structure easily. In Alaska the Quonset hut was performed so well in its climate that many still exist there today.

The original Quonset huts were 16’ x 36’. Brandenberger’s team made different versions of the Quonset adapted for different purposes. Modifications include specific partitions and windows to suit different functions of the building, and adjustments in the form of ventilation and insulation to suit different climates. Forty-one design variations were made, “including a dispensary/surgical hut, a laboratory, laundry facility, pharmacy, dental facility, hospital ward, barbershop, morgue, guard house, and tailor shop […].”⁵

Quonsets were designed to be easily dismantled and rebuilt. However, it was often easier to transport them without dismantling the structure, since they were relatively light. They were transported in a variety of ways. One of the most ingenious methods was a sled system developed in Alaska. Quonsets were mounted on sled runners and transported to the destination. Once there, the runners can be returned or can remain on the Quonsets, turning the structures into mobile camps.⁶

Quonset hut on sled runners.

Notes

1. Julie Decker and Chris Chiei, Quonset Hut: Metal Living for a Modern Age (New York, NY: Princeton Architectural Press, 2005), 17, 19.

2. Decker and Chiei, 23, 24.

3. Decker and Chiei, 24.

4. Decker and Chiei, 13.

5. Decker and Chiei, 9.

6. Decker and Chiei, 9.

7. Decker and Chiei, 27.