  a quonset hut is a lightweight prefabricated structure of corrugated galvanized steel having a semicircular cross-section. the design was based on the nissen hut developed by the british during world war i. hundreds of thousands were produced during world war ii and military surplus was sold to the public, making "quonset hut" a household word. the name comes from their site of first manufacture, quonset point, at the davisville naval construction battalion center in davisville (a village located within the town of north kingstown, rhode island, u.s.). == design and history == quonset huts were manufactured by a wide range of independent contractors in countries around the world but the first were manufactured in 1941, when the united states navy needed an all-purpose, lightweight building that could be shipped anywhere and assembled without skilled labor. the united states navy entered into a contract with the george a. fuller construction company to manufacture them. the first was produced within 60 days of contract award. the original design was a 16&nbsp;ft Ã 36&nbsp;ft (5 m Ã 11 m) structure framed with steel members with an 8&nbsp;ft (2.4 m) radius. the sides were corrugated steel sheets. the two ends were covered with plywood, which had doors and windows. the interior was insulated and had pressed wood lining and a wood floor. the building could be placed on concrete, on pilings, or directly on the ground with a wood floor. as the original design used low grade (non-strategic) steel, a more rust-resistant version was called for. the united states used an all-spruce 'pacific hut' in the pacific theater of operations in world war ii. the most common design created a standard size of 20&nbsp;ft Ã 48&nbsp;ft (6 m Ã 15 m) with 10&nbsp;ft (3 m) radius, allowing 720 square feet (67 mÂ²) of usable floor space, with optional four-foot (1.2 m) overhangs at each end for protection of entrances from the weather. other sizes were developed, including 20&nbsp;ft Ã 40&nbsp;ft (6 m Ã 12 m) and 40&nbsp;ft Ã 100&nbsp;ft (12 m Ã 30 m) warehouse models. the flexible interior space was open, allowing for use as barracks, latrines, offices, medical and dental offices, [[isolation (health care)|isolation war
American_architecture Barracks Iron_and_steel_buildings Military_equipment_of_World_War_II Portable_buildings_and_shelters Prefabricated_houses