The dymaxion house was not exactly a tepee design. He recognized that most interesting materials are stronger under tension than compression -- steel, for exam

The dymaxion house was not exactly a tepee design. He recognized that most interesting materials are stronger under tension than compression -- steel, for example. This is part of the power of the geodesic (tension spreads throughout the structure, yielding global tension and localized compression). The houses were designed with a load-bearing center shaft, and the structure pulled from it. At least in the designs I've seen -- and in the aluminum building shown in the article (look at the "foundation"). But similar to a tepee, the top would also open (and rotate) for ventilation purposes -- domes and round structures have useful air circulation patterns.