My little rant on steel aircraft hangar
These buildings are amazingly strong and have proven resistant to hurricanes, earthquakes, tornadoes and heavy wind, rain and snow. Without need of supportive beams or trusses, a Quonset hut has 100 percent usable space for such disparate purposes as grain and crop storage and airplane hangars. Quonset huts, developed at the naval base in Quonset, Rhode Island during World War II, were originally intended to address the need for light housing and storage that could be quickly assembled and torn down in the field with nothing more than hand tools. Their building panels were constructed from steel strong enough to protect troops and supplies from the elements. The trouble with the initial Quonset hut design was that the panels and steel rib frame were supported by wooden purlins that prevented effective use of the buildings for more diverse uses such as bakeries, showers, dental offices and isolation wards.