Located in China’s Yongding County, the Tulou Fuyulou Changdi Inn is known as an “earth building.” The Hakka people built China's tulou, a Han subgroup that ventured into southern China about 2,000 years ago. Between the 12th and 20th centuries, these communal earthen buildings housed large families, providing protection from …

A former 19th-century water purifying factory, Hotel La Purificadora, is located in the historic city of Puebla, Mexico. The retention of many of the building's original elements, including exposed stone walls and stone aqueducts, lends La Purificadora an air of history and authenticity. At the same time, modern influences like …