NOOK

NOOK A home den that provides a place of refuge without isolating the dog from its surroundings, designed to integrate naturally into the domestic environment. NOOK is a den designed for dogs that are sensitive to stress inducing sounds, which are increasingly common in the modern urban environment. It provides a safe space for sensory regulation, rest, and retreat, responding to dogs’ instinctive tendency to seek enclosed and sheltered spaces. Dogs benefit from having a dedicated den that is separate from their regular resting place, somewhere they can choose to retreat to when they need privacy, calm, or protection. Although dogs are highly social animals, they also need opportunities to withdraw from stimulation and regulate themselves independently. NOOK creates an enclosed and protective feeling through a form inspired by natural caves and burrows. Its relatively low profile, reduced light, and quieter interior distinguish it from the surrounding home environment while still allowing the dog to remain connected to it. The den reduces external noise through a combination of active noise cancellation and passive acoustic treatment. Its multi-layered panels incorporate acoustic felt to absorb sound, while the textured inner surfaces help diffuse sound waves and reduce internal sound reflections. The active system uses surface exciters attached directly to the panels, turning the panel surfaces into sound-radiating elements through vibration and generating the opposing sound waves required for active noise cancellation. NOOK is supplied as a flat-pack construction kit designed to be assembled at home by the user. The starting point for the project was Kora, my parents’ dog. She was adopted four years ago, and when she first arrived, we went through a long process of training and helping her cope with stress responses and adapt to her new environment. Then October 7th happened, and, as it did for all of us, it changed everything. Much of the progress we had made with her disappeared. The repeated loud noises, combined with the heightened tension at home, caused her stress responses to return and become significantly more intense than they had been before.