A load-bearing tubular structural shell for use particularly in aerospace applications includes a structural frame of lattice-like structure formed by intersecting helical, girth, and longitudinal stiffening ribs, ad an outer covering surrounding the structural frame. The ribs are formed by helical, girth, and longitudinal strips of unbidirectional fibers wrapped in intersecting and overlapping fashion to form a plurality of layers of the strips. The longitudinal and girth ribs intersect at nodes, and at least some of these nodes are attached to helical ribs so as to form closed structural triangular nodes. Two sides of each triangular node are formed by first faces of the longitudinal and girth ribs, and the opposite second faces of the longitudinal and girth ribs intersect at a corner that lies within the closed triangular node. The helical rib at the triangular node has one face that lies within the closed triangular node and an opposite face that forms a third side of the triangular node.