How Adding A Vestibule Helps Your Facility

A vestibule serves as an entryway buffer, improving energy efficiency, security, and overall comfort in a facility. By creating a transition space between the outdoors and indoors, vestibules help reduce air infiltration, maintaining indoor temperatures and lowering heating and cooling costs. This is particularly beneficial for commercial buildings like offices, hospitals, and hotels, where frequent door usage can cause drafts and temperature fluctuations.

Vestibules also enhance security by providing an additional barrier between the outside and the building interior. In high-traffic environments, they can serve as controlled access points, improving safety while reducing noise and debris from entering the main space.

Structurally, vestibules can be designed in different formats depending on a facility’s needs. Welded steel frame vestibules offer durability and architectural customization, allowing them to seamlessly integrate with an existing building’s aesthetic. Alternatively, panelized vestibules provide a cost-effective and easily assembled solution, making them ideal for projects requiring a quick and simple installation.

Whether for climate control, security, or convenience, vestibules play a crucial role in enhancing a building’s functionality while improving the overall experience for occupants and visitors.

In many cases, vestibules will act as a buffer zone not just for bad weather, but for security purposes too.  One of the most popular reasons for facilities to install a prefabricated vestibule onto their existing building is to add a second line of defense.  These structures act as a 'mantrap' for the facility's entrance, ensuring only authorized personnel are able to enter.  These security vestibules can function in a variety of ways to secure the entrance. In certain high-security areas, the first set of doors can be opened, but lock when closed. Then, the second set of doors include an access control mechanism, requiring a keyfob, access code, or fingerprint scan to gain entry.  If the person is trying to illegitimately gain entry to the facility, they will be stuck in the vestibule (or mantrap), forced to wait for security personnel to escort them off the property.  Depending on the level of security that the area requires, these additions can include ballistic-rated, bullet-resistant, and impact-resistant glass to prevent brute force attacks.  

While the urgency of COVID-19 screenings has decreased, many businesses and facilities continue to implement health and safety measures at their entrances. Vestibules can serve as designated screening or check-in areas, helping to manage visitor flow and provide a controlled entry point. These spaces can be particularly useful in healthcare settings, high-traffic commercial buildings, and workplaces where health screenings, badge checks, or security screenings are still part of daily operations.

During colder months or in areas with extreme weather, an enclosed vestibule provides a comfortable environment for staff conducting entry procedures, preventing exposure to harsh outdoor conditions. Infrared thermometers, badge scanners, or other screening tools can be used inside the vestibule while maintaining an organized and efficient entry process.