Major Peter Norman Nissen, of the Royal Engineers developed the idea of a semi-circular corrugated iron hut in 1916. The main criteria of the design was that it was economic to build and portable. The semi-circular corrugated iron sheathed nissen hut provided a quick and easily errected solution to the need for temporary buildings during WW2. Often errected around temporary wartime airfields and army encampments many survived after the war in use as farm storage sheds. The design was patented, and these buildings found use not just in the UK, but in the United States, Canada, South Africa and Australia. Many still survive to this day, finding use for storage, and in industrial use.
From a model railway perspective the Nissen hut is ideal to create a military base on the edge of a layout, providing a good reason for a range of specilaist wagons like fuel tankers and gunpowder vans to be delivered to a private siding or local goods yard. In civilian use the huts can be added to a farm yard, or be occupied by a line-side industry.
The kit comes complete with a couple of alternative door ends, either a single door with windows, or larger double doors. There are parts to make two buildings and can be combined them together, or cut down in size as needed.
This building from the Ratio range will be of great use as countryside scenic features OO gauge railway modellers and as an airfield diorama accessory for 1/72nd scale WW2 aircraft modellers.