I saw a door in Germany a couple of years ago that I liked. More importantly, my wife liked it, too, and we both thought one like it would look good on our house.
With that as the model I designed one to fit the 36 x 80" opening in my house, I'll spare you the build process and just say that I used stave core construction with Sapele veneer outside and maple on the inside. The tempered patterned glass are separate panes that sit against silicone foam and are held by the applied moldings, inside and out. The wood panels are solid, 5/8" thick, again Sapele on the outside and maple on the inside. These photos will give you an idea how it was done.
My friend came today to help install it. It all went pretty smoothly because we had test fit it before I finished it; highly recommended when not changing the frame.
John