Buildings and assemblages of buildings make excellent sources of information about everyday people and everyday life because they exist in great numbers and are complex enough to shed light on many aspects of human behavior, from attitudes toward the use of space to aesthetic traditions and technological know-how.
I remember watching a video on youtube talking about how some use to put cages outside their window to put their babies outside to get fresh air and sunlight. Needless to say, it was a very bad idea but it shows how humans evolved from interesting technological advances that lead to some products being revoked. However, it is important to know why certain products was produced and how it affected human behavior or aspects of the human behavior.