dis/re:CONNECT Part 2 Project 2021 Billie Chell University of Lincoln Lincoln | UK dis/re:CONNECT explores the addictive cycle of social media and significant implications on the well-being of users, culminating in the development of a retreat, which re-purposes Clarence Graving Dock in Liverpool. Aimed principally at the millennial generation, where there is an evident correlation with loneliness, it is designed to encourage disengagement from the digital and reconnection with reality and others. The scheme offers three distinct levels of disconnection to accommodate personal needs and reassign control. Each space encourages a healing process through the inclusion of biophilic design principles, the NHS’ and Mind’s well-being recommendations, and the provision of an experience which resembles movement through natural environments, guided by the presence of water. A park, which in part forms the roof of the building, includes seasonally varied paths and meeting spaces to promote social mixing, whilst a wellness centre, clad with native species of timber, contains an atrium surrounded by ‘treetops’ of activities to stimulate involvement. Finally, a spa utilises monolithic concrete ‘cave’ walls and carefully controlled natural light to define a space for shared reflection and reward for commitment to disconnection. dis/re:CONNECT responds to the prevailing need for physical social space whilst reinforcing the historic fabric of Liverpool’s waterfront. Tutor(s) Peter Baldwin