Composite materials and adhesives could "revolutionise" construction and lead to entire towers being glued together, according to American architect Greg Lynn.
Carbon fibre, fibreglass and other structural plastics are lighter, stronger and cheaper than many traditional building materials.
Connecting these together with fast-drying glue is a quicker and more efficient method of construction, according to Greg Lynn, who said that this approach could replace the need for screws, rivets and bolts.
The San Francisco Museum of Modern Art boasts the largest composite-based building facade in the USA
"The use of composites and adhesives could revolutionise engineering in every building type," he told science magazine New Scientist. The magazine published a report by Geoff Manaugh, author of BLDG BLOG, on the emerging construction technique.

Related story: Dutch EU building features a facade combining tensile fabric and 3D-printed bioplastic

Reducing the weight of a skyscraper could both dramatically bring down the building's cost, and help stop it swaying during an earthquake.
"If you can take 30 per cent of the weight out of the upper section of a building by using lightweight composite materials, you could end up saving between 70 and 80 per cent of the material in the entire structure," said Lynn, whose projects include a prototype for a carbon-fibre living pod.
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