Foyer / Lobby
A foyer or lobby is a room in a building which is used for entry from the outside. It may be a large, vast room in case of public buildings or malls or theatres; or a small interstitial space between the main entrance door and the living room in homes. The entrance foyer is usually also a waiting area for visitors in case of offices; or for patrons of a hospitality outlet.
There has been a growing trend to think of lobbies as more than just ways to get from the door to the elevator, but instead as social spaces and places of commerce. Walls of the lobby usually display the nature of the establishment and are adorned with pictures or certificates or accreditations. Where the lobby doubles up as a waiting area, it is equipped with couches and chairs. Also, there may be television sets, books, and/or magazines to help the customer pass time as they wait to be served.
Super-tall skyscrapers can often have one or more of what is known as a sky lobby, which is an intermediate floor where people can change from an express elevator that stops only at the sky lobby to a local elevator which stops at every floor within a segment of the building.