The lobby is a space in a building that provides an entrance into the building at large. The lobby often includes security systems such as a security guard or entry point, and in many cases, some areas of the lobby are secure while others are open to the public. In most instances, both residents and tenants of the building and their visitors pass through the same lobby, making it a frequently traveled space. Entrances to corridors often come off of the lobby, as do elevator or stair entrances, where necessary.

Because the lobby is the first space that a visitor occupies within a building, it will often have a vast effect on how a visitor perceives the building at large, even if spaces within the building are different than that of the lobby. For this reason, the lobbies of consumer-heavy buildings such as hotels are often very well planned. Below is an overview of the areas in which planning is focused for a lobby in such a space.

Appearance and Mood
The lobby sets the stage for the overall aesthetic of the building, and therefore determining what types of design elements to include the lobby is a big task when a lobby is being designed. Elements that will affect the aesthetics include:
• Fixtures
• Finishes
• Furniture
• Featured artistic elements such a statues, paintings, and other objects
• Signs

The way one moves through the entranceway into the lobby is also an aesthetic concern and should be planned. For example, a lobby is considered pleasing when it provides breaks between spaces, which is also known as a “relief opportunity”.

Adding Functionality
Though a lobby has a lot of work to do by of aesthetics, it is as its heart a functional space that must add to the overall operations of the building in a positive way. Most buildings use one space for both visitors and residents of the building in order to boost productivity of the lobby space. It’s also important that the lobby be designed to handle large amounts of people passing through at once. This typically means that large machinery and other bulky equipment should either be left out of the lobby altogether or should be kept to the sides of the space. Leaving the middle of the space free increases the space for pedestrian traffic.

Security
Depending on the type of space, its location, and its function, there will be varying needs for security within a lobby. Some lobbies use access control points, which can range from a security guard to a machine that restricts access based on the presentation of electronic credentials. In areas were security is of particular concern, turnstiles used in conjunction with credentialed access control points are often used. Additionally, depending on how the heavy security needs are, separate access control points for visitors and residents or tenants may be useful in keeping the flow of the lobby regular while maintaining proper security through identification.