In 1962, while reading a National Geographic article, Bill Coperthwaite recognized the folk genius in the design of the traditional Mongolian yurt. He found in the yurt both rich potential for creative design and an opportunity to develop a simple dwelling that people could build themselves. Bill designed the tapered-wall yurt to enable people to play a larger role in creating their own shelter, using a design that reduces required building skills to a minimum while still producing a beautiful, inexpensive permanent shelter.