Facebook is opening a new hardware lab as part of its broader ambitions to connect people through smart gadgets, virtual-reality headsets and high-flying drones that deliver internet signals.

Although the company built its fortune on the internet, it sees hardware as an important part of its future. Facebook’s new research facility demonstrates that in Silicon Valley leading tech companies are rarely content to keep doing the same thing.

The company wouldn’t say how much it spent to build the facility.

The lab is dubbed Area 404, a joke playing off the “error 404” message internet users see when they try to visit a web page that can’t be found. Facebook says its engineers had long talked about wanting such a workspace, but it couldn’t be found because it didn’t exist until now.

On the move

J. Uno & Associates has hired Vinson Hiraoka as project estimator. He has 16 years’ experience as a licensed architect. He is also a current member of The American Institute of Architects and The Construction Specifications Institute.

Kaiser Permanente Hawaii has announced the following new hires to its Hawaii Permanente Medical Group:

Andrew Yeh as director of analytics. He has more than 17 years’ experience in research, development, engineering and operations, most recently as program manager and senior research scientist at Xerox Innovation Group in Honolulu.

Julianne Chun as director of corporate compliance and associate general counsel. Her 20 years’ experience in health care law, corporate compliance and clinical research include time as corporate compliance officer at City of Hope in Duarte, Calif.