“IQ Glass Group Ltd” trading as IQ Projects, Sky House, Raans Road, Amersham, HP6 6FT
Specification
Maximum Size of a Glass Draught Lobby
Glass Specifications
Bespoke Shapes and Arched Openings
Hardware and Finishes
Bespoke Glass Draught Lobbies for Commercial and Heritage Projects
IQ Projects design, engineer and install bespoke glass draught lobbies for architectural-led developments across the commercial and heritage sectors.
These glazed entrance systems are tailored to improve internal comfort, reduce environmental impact at key thresholds and enhance the overall experience of a building’s entrance.
Each solution is developed in close collaboration with architects and contractors, ensuring the final installation aligns precisely with both performance requirements and the design intent of the building.
What is a Glass Draught Lobby?
A glass draught lobby is a bespoke glazed entrance enclosure designed to create a controlled transition between external conditions and internal spaces. Positioned within the building envelope, it forms a secondary threshold that reduces cold air ingress, improves thermal stability and enhances acoustic separation at key entry points.
These systems are particularly effective in high-traffic environments, reception areas and large-volume interiors where uncontrolled airflow can impact occupant comfort. Unlike traditional enclosed vestibules, glass draught lobbies maintain uninterrupted sightlines and allow natural light to flow freely through the space, preserving the openness and architectural clarity of the entrance.
This combination of performance and transparency makes them well suited to heritage buildings, hospitality environments, cultural spaces and contemporary commercial developments where both environmental control and visual continuity are essential.
The Design of a Glass Draught Lobby
Each glass draught lobby by IQ is developed on a fully bespoke basis, allowing the glazing, door systems and structural detailing to respond precisely to the architecture of the building and its operational requirements.
Design flexibility enables a wide range of configurations, from compact internal vestibules to larger glazed enclosures that define circulation zones. These are delivered through clean detailing and minimal structural glazing, with frameless glass panels, slimline interfaces and discreet fixings ensuring seamless integration and visual clarity.
Glass specification can be tailored to suit performance requirements, including laminated, acoustic and low-iron glazing for enhanced clarity. The transparency of the system ensures architectural features, material finishes and entrance sightlines remain fully visible, making it particularly suited to heritage and design-led commercial projects.
Integrating Doors into Glass Draught Lobbies
Each system can incorporate a range of integrated door solutions, including automated sliding doors, pivot doors and frameless hinged doors. Concealed automation, access control systems and coordinated threshold detailing allow the entrance to function efficiently while maintaining the simplicity of the overall design.
Door systems are carefully coordinated with the overall glazing design to ensure smooth operation within high-traffic environments. Consideration is given to door positioning, clear opening widths and user flow, allowing the glass draught lobby to manage circulation effectively while maintaining environmental separation. Where required, doors can be integrated with building management systems, fire safety protocols and accessibility requirements.
Bespoke metalwork finishes and precision-engineered glazing details ensure every installation aligns with the architectural language of the building.
Sensitive Glass Lobby Design for Heritage Buildings
These installations are particularly well suited to listed and heritage buildings, where environmental improvements must be introduced carefully and respectfully. The minimal appearance of structural glazing allows modern interventions to remain visually lightweight while preserving the original architecture.
Fixing methods are developed to minimise intervention into existing stonework, timber and historic finishes wherever possible. Reversible detailing strategies can also be employed where required to support conservation principles and planning requirements.
Advanced surveying techniques, including 3D laser scanning, can be used to capture irregular geometries and complex existing conditions. This allows the glass draught lobby to be manufactured with greater precision, helping the final installation sit cleanly within sensitive or historically significant spaces.
Explore Glass Draught Lobby Solutions
Glass draught lobbies are often installed within occupied buildings that must remain operational throughout the works.
Careful planning and coordinated delivery help minimise disruption while ensuring large-format glazing can be installed safely and accurately within sensitive or confined spaces. The result is an elegant entrance solution that combines technical performance with clean architectural integration.
Looking to improve the performance of a commercial or heritage entrance? A bespoke glass draught lobby enhances comfort, controls airflow and preserves visual openness, natural light and architectural continuity. Contact the IQ Projects team to discuss your project.
Specification
Maximum Size of a Glass Draught Lobby
Glass draught lobbies from IQ Projects are fully bespoke and can be designed to suit a wide range of sizes, shapes and configurations. Each system is developed in close collaboration with architects and specifiers to ensure it meets both the spatial constraints of the building and the required performance criteria.
Large-format structural glazing allows for expansive and visually seamless installations, with individual glass panels available in sizes of up to 22m x 3.6m, subject to project requirements and feasibility.
The overall dimensions of a glass draught lobby are often influenced by site access and installation conditions, as these systems are typically installed within the primary building envelope. Careful coordination during the design phase ensures that both manufacturing and installation constraints are fully considered, resulting in a precise and efficient delivery on site.
Glass Specifications
Glass draught lobbies from IQ Projects can be specified using a range of glazing constructions to suit the structural, aesthetic and performance requirements of each project. Depending on the application, systems can incorporate toughened, laminated, acoustic and low-iron glass to achieve the desired balance of safety, transparency and environmental performance.
Glass specifications are developed during the design phase, taking into account panel dimensions, impact requirements, acoustic performance and visual clarity. Low-iron glazing can be specified where enhanced transparency is required, while laminated constructions may be utilised to provide additional safety, security and sound reduction benefits.
By tailoring the glazing specification to the needs of the building, each glass draught lobby achieves the required performance criteria whilst maintaining the clean, minimal appearance associated with structural glazing.
Bespoke Shapes and Arched Openings
Glass draught lobbies are manufactured on a fully bespoke basis and can be designed to suit a wide variety of opening shapes and architectural conditions. From traditional rectangular layouts to complex arched and irregular openings, each system is engineered to integrate seamlessly within the existing building fabric.
The use of advanced surveying techniques, including 3D laser scanning where required, enables glazing systems to be designed accurately around historic structures and non-standard geometries. Bespoke glass panels and supporting elements can be developed to follow curved, gothic or asymmetrical forms while maintaining the visual simplicity of the overall installation.
This flexibility makes glass draught lobbies particularly suitable for heritage and conservation projects, where modern environmental improvements must be introduced without compromising the character of the original architecture.
Hardware and Finishes
Glass draught lobbies can be specified with a range of hardware, metalwork and finishing options to complement the architectural language of the building. Patch fittings, door furniture, support structures and associated glazing components can all be coordinated to suit the wider design palette.
Standard finish options include satin and polished stainless steel, while bespoke powder-coated finishes are available in a wide range of RAL colours. Specialist architectural finishes, including bronze-effect, brass-effect and black-coated metalwork, can also be incorporated where required.
By carefully coordinating glazing details and hardware finishes, each installation can be tailored to suit contemporary commercial environments, hospitality projects and sensitive heritage applications whilst maintaining a consistent design aesthetic throughout the space.
Further Reading
Why Glass Draught Lobbies Matter
Glass draught lobbies improve occupant comfort by reducing draughts, stabilising internal temperatures and minimising disruption caused by frequent door use in high-traffic entrance areas. They also enhance acoustic performance by forming a secondary barrier that limits external noise entering sensitive internal environments. At the same time, they preserve architectural intent by maintaining transparency, natural light and uninterrupted sightlines, particularly within heritage and design-led projects. By reducing heat loss at key building thresholds, these systems can also support energy efficiency, contributing to more controlled and cost-effective building operation.