The Safe Spaces Project

Safe Spaces Virtual Tour Field Note Place: Central Plaza (formerly the Central Bank of Ireland Building) Central Plaza (formerly the Central Bank of Ireland Building) was designed by Irish architect Sam Stephenson of Stephenson Gibney & Associates and completed in 1978. It remains one of Dublin's most recognizable examples of Brutalist architecture and was highly controversial when it was built because of its scale and modern appearance among the surrounding historic buildings. What makes the building architecturally unique is that it is Ireland's only suspended office building. Instead of stacking each floor on columns from the ground up, the two reinforced concrete service cores were built first. A large steel roof structure was then constructed, and each office floor was suspended from it using paired high-tensile steel Macalloy bars (visible externally as the distinctive black suspension rods). During construction, each floor was assembled at ground level an...

Safe Spaces Field Note Newman University Church – Dublin, Ireland July 18, 2026 Body Signal I immediately felt smaller in the space. The warm stone, dark wooden beams, and lower transitional spaces felt inviting rather than intimidating. Spatial Architecture The most important feature wasn't the sanctuary itself—it was the sequence of spaces leading to it. A modest entrance led into a cloister-like transition before opening into the main nave. From there, the eye was naturally drawn along the processional axis toward the altar and apse. The foliated capitals at the tops of the columns and the painted timber ceiling immediately caught my attention. At first, I actually thought the ceiling might be covered in fabric because the painted vine pattern was so perfectly executed. Sensory Inputs Silence. Warm stone. Dark wood. Filtered light. Beautifully restored artwork. The church felt timeless. Safety Mechanism The church doesn't simply provide an entra...

Safe Spaces Virtual Tour Field Note Place: Glendalough National Park – Spinc Trail (High Intensity) Date: June 10, 2026 By Troy Alan Cox The highest point of the White Spinc Trail reaches approximately 1,650 feet (500 meters) above sea level. One-sentence first impression: Although listed as a medium-intensity hike, I didn't know whose definition of "medium" they were using. Medium for a Billy goat, not my medium. It was a wonderful walk at a moderate incline up to the waterfall, and my body was enjoying the shade of the trees. By the time I reached the first summit, it was screaming at me, "What have you done?" After passing the waterfall, the white trail turned to the right through a metal sheep gate, up a steeper incline, leaving the woods to a second metal gate. After another steeper climb there was a small plateau. You can stop here and see the Upper Lake to your right and the ensuing valley toward the monastic village. This is a great place to ...

Safe Spaces Virtual Tour Field Note Place: Glendalough National Park – Upper Lake Trail Date 6/10/2026 Troy Alan Cox One-sentence first impression: Although listed as the Upper Lake, which implies, at least to a Westerner, that it's at a higher elevation than the Lower Lake, it's actually just a term for being farther away. It is worth the extra walk past the Lower Lake, as it is an entirely different experience. Upon arriving at the Upper Lake, I was instantly aware of what a different experience I was having than the calm, serene walk around the Lower Lake. The Upper Lake shore is more like a beach. I arrived at 11:00 in the morning, and there were already families with young children playing in the cool, clear mountain water. Since the car park is right adjacent to the lake, it's a great day trip for people to have a picnic or a family outing. I instantly felt a full-body sigh of relaxation as I gazed at the deep blue waters of this much larger and almost sti...

Safe Spaces Field Notes Glendalough National Park – Lower Lake Trail By Troy Alan Cox Billed as an easy trail, it's definitely more than a casual stroll, with some wayfinding confusion and a few challenging hills. The first challenge wasn't physical. It was orientation. The trail is marked as a green trail; however, the green route splits to go either to the Upper Lake, which is a much more ambitious hike, or down to the Lower Lake. At the first fork in the road, it is not clearly distinguished which direction keeps a hiker on the Lower Lake trail. The walk itself was challenging but, with plenty of opportunities to stop and rest, felt invigorating and took a little over an hour to complete. I finished feeling content but more physically challenged than I had expected. Although maps are posted at the visitor center, physical maps are no longer handed out. I found it surprisingly difficult to orient myself using the digital map alone. What begins as the easy green wa...

Safe Spaces Field Notes Powerscourt Estate, County Wicklow, Ireland By Troy Alan Cox When Beauty Doesn't Immediately Feel Safe When we visit a historic property, we often judge it by its gardens, architecture, or history. For this field note, I approached Powerscourt Estate differently. Rather than asking whether I liked it, I asked three questions: What made me feel safe? What created friction? What environmental changes might improve the experience for a wider range of visitors? My goal is not to criticize remarkable places like this, but to observe how architecture, wayfinding, sensory input, and human interaction influence the nervous system. First Impression Approaching from the exterior of the building while walking across a gravel drive, I immediately felt uncertainty. Was I approaching the back of the building, or was this the main entrance? The large grey stone used throughout the construction created a feeling that was more institutional than welcoming. With v...

Safe Spaces Field Notes Orlando International Airport – Terminal C Safety Check I liked how easy it was to breeze through customs and security with all the lanes wide open. Upon entering the main hub, the ceiling shoots up six stories high, creating a feeling of spaciousness that feels very different from other terminals. The greeting of large LED screens showing fun digital animals peeking out of artificial rock walls made me feel instantly safe. High-top tables set in carpeting surrounding the digital screens invite travelers to sit down and watch the display. You can walk in between the screens and watch beautiful seascapes transform into desert scenes with stones that appear to move with the viewer. Past the screens, the terminal splits three ways. Straight ahead, several gates at the end were empty and made a great place to take a quick rest and charge my phone. Taking the elevator up to the sixth floor, you almost merge with the vertical light fixtures, and there is m...

The Soldier Screamed It's been three years, and I still see it. Written by: Troy Alan Cox Today, standing in the international terminal waiting for my flight to Ireland, I unexpectedly found myself back in Costa Rica. Three years ago I co-led a yoga teacher training retreat to Costa Rica. It was my first retreat since 2011, when we went to Bali with my studio. I've traveled the world and was excited to see my first South American country. Growing up in Japan, I have an affinity for rainforests and being able to travel to the mountains and the coast in the same day. After having to sleep several hours in the airport on arrival while waiting for our transport, the adventure began. I kept hearing my co-host telling me in the car before leaving the U.S. that there was a last-minute guest coming. A soldier with extreme PTSD. I kept shoving it to the back of my mind, having had this come up in yoga teacher training before. However, never in a foreign country. It was alrea...

One Safer Thing Life Tip #002 Video: https://youtu.be/5qma6EYYfrI?is=pjDQ89rItGVXc0Fb YouTube Discernment: Not Every Tool Is for Every Body By Troy Alan Cox Over the years of instructing, I've learned something very important that I like to share with others. Whenever someone tells me they tried yoga and didn't like it or it wasn't right for them, I don't try to convince them otherwise. I used to tell them all the health benefits and the reasons why they might try yoga again. Pretty quickly, though, I learned that yoga is good for every body, but yoga practice is not right for everybody. The same principle runs true for all the different types of tools we might find on our life path while looking for ways to deal with the ups and downs of living. One tool might be extremely beneficial for an individual, and they might want to tell everybody about how great the tool is for them. However, that same tool might simply not work for the next person. The better que...