She took us first to Pripyat, the town built to house the Chernobyl workers when it was built in the 1970s, now utterly abandoned.

BBC: Chernobyl nuclear power station

When asked, a Facebook spokesperson told me that some of the technology was built in house, while some was licensed from outside of Facebook.

FORBES: Connect

There was an ancient kitchen house in the back yard, left over from the days when kitchens were built separate from the main houses in order to prevent fires, and the hired fellow could stay there as part of his salary.

NEWYORKER: Idols

When they launched the Albergo, the owners built five new stories on top of a small house that was first constructed in the 1920s.

NPR: Beirut: Hotel With Oriental Opulence, French Accent

At home, Ms. Lam and her husband, Steven Bourne, tried to do the opposite, buying and renovating a traditional "lilong" house that was built in 1936, when Shanghai's financial and artistic influence was at its peak.

WSJ: Luxury Real Estate: Embracing Old Shanghai in a French Concession Lilong