Monocoque Construction Techniques

What is the "monocoque" construction technique?

Monocoque, in French, means "single shell." This construction technique uses the external skin of an object to support some or most of the load of the structure, as opposed to internal framework that is covered with a non-loadbearing skin, such as  woodframe construction covered with drywall. Monocoque construction is used widely in aircraft, beginning in the 1930s and is now the predominant automobile construction technology today.

See Aviation Chatter