Safety Theatre Is Killing Us: Why Your Building’s Emergency Plan Is a Lie – Ep 101 with Sam Mathews
How do we really prepare building occupants for emergencies? This week on Better Buildings for Humans, host Joe Menchefski explores that question for the very first time—diving headfirst into the world of occupant safety with tech entrepreneur and safety design innovator Sam Mathews, founder of Loci. Sam's journey from DJ and VR creator to building safety expert is nothing short of mind-blowing. She shares how neuroscience, localization, and web-based tools like QR code-driven scavenger hunts are helping people actually learn their emergency routes and safety features—by physically walking them. The episode explores why digital twins aren’t always scalable, what architects can do to make buildings more intuitive in emergencies, and how safety should be seen as an essential element of human-centered design, not an afterthought. It’s a powerful and perspective-shifting conversation you won’t want to miss.
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More About Samantha Matthews
Samantha Mathews is a serial entrepreneur, instructional designer, immersive media producer, and musician. She’s the founder of LOCI, a platform that generates real-world learning paths—from emergency drills to gallery tours and equipment walkthroughs. Originally developed to replace ineffective safety training with site-specific QR code drills, LOCI has grown into a broader path-making tool used to embed context directly into physical space. Sam’s driving passion is helping people feel more connected to their surroundings and better equipped to make decisions—especially when it counts. Before LOCI, she founded an immersive 3D arts and technology studio, toured internationally as a DJ, and created experiential tools for clients like Chanel, Red Bull, and the Olympics.
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