Steel building, exploring in depth
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. The design was subsequently modified to its current incarnation of side walls with rounded steel arch roof, thus opening up more usable space in the structure. This modified design also proved easier to assemble and take down in the field. Quonset huts became so popular with military personnel that many of them bought the surplus huts after the war for their personal housing; universities also purchased them for student housing. Quonset huts can still be seen in use around the world today.