Barracks Barracks were originally a temporary shelter or hut but are now better known as specialized buildings for permanent military accommodation ; the word may apply to separate housing blocks or to complete complexes . Their main object is to separate soldiers from the civilian population and reinforce discipline , training and " esprit de corps " . They were sometimes called discipline factories for soldiers . Like industrial factories , some are considered to be shoddy or dull buildings , although others are known for their magnificent architecture such as Collins Barracks in Dublin and others in Paris , Berlin , Madrid , Vienna or London . History . Early barracks such as those of the Roman Praetorian Guard were built to maintain elite forces . There are a number of remains of Roman army barracks in frontier forts such as Vercovicium and Vindolanda . From these and from contemporary Roman sources we can see that the basics of life in a military camp have remained constant for thousands of years . In the early modern period they formed part of the ' Military Revolution ' that scholars believe contributed decisively to the formation of the nation state by increasing the expense of maintaining standing armies . Large , permanent barracks were developed in the 18th century by the two dominant states of the period , France and Spain . The English term ‘ barrack ’ , on the other hand , derives from the Spanish word for a temporary shelter erected by soldiers on campaign , " barraca " . Because of fears that a standing army in barracks would be a threat to the constitution , barracks were not generally built in Great Britain until 1790 , on the eve of the Napoleonic War ( though a few small barracks were built earlier than this , usually in border or coastal locations ) . Woolwich ( 1776 ) is an early example of an urban barracks in Britain ( significantly it was built by the Board of Ordnance rather than by the Army ) . Early barracks were multi - storey blocks often grouped in a quadrangle around a courtyard or parade ground . A good example is Ravensdowne Barracks Berwick - upon - Tweed , among the first in England to be purpose - built and begun in 1717 to the design of the distinguished architect Nicholas Hawksmoor . During the 18th century the increasing sophistication of military life lead to separate housing for different ranks ( officers had always had larger rooms ) and married quarters , and the provision of specialized buildings such as dining rooms and cook houses , bath houses , mess rooms , schools , hospitals , armouries , gymnasia , riding schools and stables . The pavilion plan concept of hospital design was influential in barrack planning after the Crimean War . The first large - scale training camps were built in France and Germany during the early 18th century . The British army built Aldershot camp from 1854 . By the First World War , infantry , artillery and cavalry regiments had separate barracks . The first naval barracks were hulks , old wooden sailing vessels , but these insanitary lodgings were replaced with large naval barracks at the major dockyard towns of Europe and the United States , usually with hammocks instead of beds . These were inadequate for the enormous armies mobilised after 1914 . Hut camps were developed using variations of the eponymous Nissen hut , made from timber or corrugated iron . Military . In many militaries , NCO s and enlisted personnel will frequently be housed in barracks for service or training . Junior enlisted and sometimes junior NCOs will often receive less space and may be housed in bays , while senior NCOs and officers may share or have their own room . The term " Garrison town " is a common expression for any town that has military barracks , i . e . , a permanent military presence nearby . Worldwide . Canada . Barracks blockhouses were used to house troops in forts in Upper Canada . The Stone Frigate , completed in 1820 , served as barracks briefly in 1737 - 38 , and was refitted as a dormitory and classrooms to house the Royal Military College of Canada by 1876 . The Stone frigate is a large stone building originally designed to hold gear and rigging from British warships dismantled to comply with the Rush - Bagot Agreement . United Kingdom . Generally , only single and unmarried personnel or those who choose not to move their families nearby live in the barracks . Most British military barracks are named after battles , military figures or the locality . U . S . Armed Forces . In basic training , and sometimes follow - on training , servicemembers live in barracks . The U . S . Marine Corps have gender - separate basic training units . The U . S . Army has gender - separate basic training , but like the United States Coast Guard , U . S . Air Force and U . S . Navy , has training where male and female recruits share barracks , but are separated during personal time and lights out . However , all the services integrate male and female members following boot camp and first assignment , except the U . S . Navy ' s submarine corps and the different branches ' various combat arms elements . The Navy reversed its ban on women on submarines in 2010 . Lt . Britta Christianson , has become the first woman to serve on a Navy submarine and earn her “ dolphins pin ” . She was awarded her pin during a ceremony Friday , June 22 , 2012 at the Puget Sound Naval Shipyard in Washington state , where she is stationed on the USS Ohio . She spent more than a year in training , which included a six - month deployment on the sub . After training , unmarried junior enlisted members will typically reside in barracks . In the 21st century , these servicemembers are generally housed in individual rooms conforming to the DoD ' s " 1 + 1 standard , " though exceptions still exist . During unaccompanied , dependent - restricted assignmments , noncommissioned and commissioned officer ranks may also be required to live in barracks . Amenities in these barracks increase with the rank of the occupant . Unlike the other services , the U . S . Air Force officially uses the term " dormitory " to refer to its unaccompanied housing . During World War II , many U . S . barracks were made of inexpensive , sturdy and easy to assemble Quonset hut s that resembled Native American long house ( being semi - circular but made out of metal ) .