metal garage

Industrial steel buildings are versatile and strong and suitable for just about any purpose. Whether your needs are for light manufacturing space or storage for farm equipment, industrial steel buildings provide an inexpensive yet durable solution.

Easy to assemble, industrial steel buildings can be constructed using several different design structures. The P series utilizes the more traditional design of straight sidewalls and arched roof and offers the greatest possible amount of usable space by raising the arch up to the top of the sidewalls. With a P series industrial steel building you will have enough room for a backyard workshop or garage, whichever you need. The A series modifies the P series design by offering a 4 to 12 pitch roof for maximum strength and durability in high wind and snow areas. It, too, can be used as backyard workshop or garage. S series buildings have high, straight sidewalls and a curved arch roof that protects from heavy rain and snow accumulation. You have 100 percent usable vertical and floor space by virtue of the high sidewalls; this design grants you the ability to house small manufacturing, industrial and commercial operations or fire and airport fueling stations within its walls. You can even fit your recreational vehicle in an S series industrial steel building.

We now come to the Q series industrial steel building. Also known as Quonset huts, Q series buildings with their rounded corrugated arch design are some of the strongest structures in architecture. These huts, named for Quonset, Rhode Island, the location of the naval base where the hut design was developed, were used extensively during World War II to house troops and equipment in the field. The design was so popular that some returning soldiers purchased the surplus huts to use for their personal housing after the war ended. These days, Q series industrial steel buildings are used for such diverse purposes as airplane hangars and to house grain; their ability to resist tornados, hurricanes, and heavy rain, snow and wind make them ideal storage facilities.

Farmers also love industrial steel buildings. Farm machinery, grain, crops, horses and livestock all need strong, reliable protection from the elements. Industrial steel buildings are ideal for this purpose. Much more durable than the traditional wooden pole barn, these buildings are also maintenance free. They can also house large quantities of grain, crops and hay.

As you can see, industrial steel buildings are versatile enough to suit just about any purpose. You can even turn one into a guest cottage.

An unusual concept in temporary housing designs, Quonset huts are indeed an innovative conception. Quonset huts are in basic terms lightweight structures that have been manufactured using iron that is galvanized and has a semi circular cross section. The original design of Quonset huts was similar to the Nissen hut building, and gained acceptance post World War I when the English used these structures. Since the original design of the Nissen prototype was an intricate array of corrugated iron panels both inside and the thermal protection came from the space between the panel arrangements, the Government came up with a variation to avoid setbacks during shipping and reassembly. Quonset huts were named after the first manufacturing site, Quonset Point, Danisville, which was part of Rhode Island. The first approved design had a surface area 5 x 11 m and was constructed from hemispherical iron rods with a 2.4 m radius, and these were then covered with ribbed iron panes. The doors and windows were designed off the side of the main structure with regular ply, and the insulated interior contained a wood floor.

The very idea of this type of provisional housing facilities increased in use post 1941 when the US Navy needed reliable shelters for its military bases. The answer lay in constructing a lightweight shelter that could be readily shipped anywhere and did not require expert hands during assembly. In fact the building itself could be assembled just about anywhere, on concrete, iron pilings or even directly on the ground. The interiors could be used as needed and the open area could be concerted into residential units, military offices, storage structures or even be used as barracks. Quonsets instantly provided the US troops with better comfort than did other temporary shelters such as tents with wooden platforms, which were the common structures used then.

From its original usage as military structures, Quonset huts have seen many enhancements and other companies began to make variations to the model for other uses. The basic structure has undergone several redesigns and the major one occurred in 1943 when the manufacturing unit at Quonset Point was reestablished as part of the Stran Steel Division of the Great Lakes Steel Corporation. This modified Quonset hut was more stretched out and had a structure that used the original full arch rib. Versions of the Quonset hut model were manufactured to meet specific requirements, a prime example being the Pacific huts, which helped even conserve metal reserves. Some designs of Quonset huts were even constructed as air raid cover. Several larger units and multi arched Quonset huts have also been built as a response to special requests, government or civil.

Originally Quonset huts did come up to solve military requirements, but have since risen to an architectural icon. In current times, Quonset huts are receiving better recognition as a form of housing, and are an indicator of the American belief in creativity. Quonset huts are certainly an exclusive phenomena, where the novel and the extraordinary merge seamlessly.