I see a market for "Magic Lams" in the future.
"Do the materials we use store more energy and return to their resting position faster, when in tension or compression?
For linear elastic materials they will store the same energy either way. I don't know if our composite lams behave close enough to linear elastic or not for that to work. Gordon's published info says their lams have the same elastic modulus in both tension and compression, which indicates they are very close to linear elastic behaviour.
Also worth noting is that Gordon's lists the tensile strength of the ULS lams as 152,000psi and the compressive strength as 119,000psi. The UL lams have a tensile strength of 152,000psi and a compressive strength of 111,000psi.
Good question on the rebound back to shape."
The original question was not material specific. What about the other components? We are not building exclusively fiberglass bows. The downside of linear thinking, is all the important factors left in the wake of a myopic goal.
"Do we try to establish the position of the neutral zone or do we leave it to destiny?
The neutral axis is easily calculated for any given cross section shape. You certainly don't need to know what it is to build a bow, but understanding its effects and controlling where it is located are useful things when trying to maximize performance."
That is called tongue in cheek (joke)