Making An Entrance: Fresh Thinking in Threshold Design

Last week, INTRAsystems partnered with Architect’s Journal to deliver an exciting webinar with expert tips and a wide array of high profile design examples of stunning but functional entrances. Panelists spoke from Sam Jacobs Studio, Morrow + Lorraine and TP Bennett providing a fascinating insight into the world of architecture and the level of detail that goes into creating an entrance in their projects.

Take A Look At The Top 8 Takeaways:

1. 1. 🗿 ‘The entrance to a building is like the first line of a novel where it sets the scene and draws you in’. At the V&A Museum, Sam Jacob Studios took inspiration from an external statue of the great potter ‘Wedgwood’, by getting wasted Wedgwood ceramics and crushing them, making terrazzo for the walls.

1. 2. 🔗 Morrow and Lorraine designed the extension at Alder Castle (commercial space) that is sympathetic with the surrounding historical ruins and leftover parts of the London Wall. It also needed to compliment the existing structure rather than detracting from it, so the metalwork was consistent with the existing building, for an example.

1. 3. 🧱 TP Bennett designed the Langfield which is 80,000 sq ft of commercial office space. The entrance is designed to stand out with different coloured brickwork and rhythm of the staggered openings. It will achieve an embodied carbon and whole life carbon that exceeds the GLA (Greater London Authority) targets for 2030.

1. 4. 🧑‍💻️ UK construction waste is responsible for 60% of waste in the UK so, TP Bennett have introduced their in-house service Ad Lib, which allows their architects to make informed choices about their specifications, focusing on sustainable sourcing. Keep your eyes peeled for updates from them as this will be made available to all later this year!

1. 5. 📏 INTRA recommend a depth of at least 4 metres of Entrance Matting.

1. 6. ♻️ INTRAform DM ecoSwitch is one of our newest products designed to lengthen the circle of life of the product. When it becomes damaged or worn you just replace the insert and keep the aluminium base profile.

1. 7. 🔲 Entrance Matting has been linear for many years, but now we can get creative opportunities with bespoke shapes, sizes, including laying the Matting on an angle to create a chevron pattern. Products such as INTRAshape can be used to retain the heritage interior feel of a building such as Royal College Strathclyde.

1. 8. 📝 The best time to contact Entrance Matting specialists about your specification is at Stage 3 so it isn’t just functional but can be incorporated into the entrance design, then detailed drawings can be reviewed in stage 4.

Watch the full webinar replay 👇