Entering the informal domain may be considered contrary to a formal understanding of architecture yet it is within this context that many architectural strategies are being resolved. Unbound by law and tradition, informal settlements allow for creative solutions that would otherwise not be explored. Such unconventional solutions speak to the discourse of architecture and planning, challenging ideas of public space and private ownership. The goal of this thesis is to investigate how public space is achieved in established informal houseboat communities using off-grid systems and salvaged material. An investigation of the houseboat community in Yellowknife, Northwest Territories and the Narrow boats in London, England are case studies in this process. This thesis seeks to identify how the city of West Kelowna, the Westbank First Nation and the Central Okanagan Regional District of British Columbia can be agents of an informal intervention on the Okanagan Lake in British Columbia.

Over the past century, sea level has risen nearly eight inches along the California coast and climate scientists suggest substantial increases in sea level as a significant impact of climate change over the coming century. This project explores the concept of creating a sustainable living environment for seaside residents in Redwood City as an alternative to permanent construction on land in the event of a substantial rise in sea level. This project will generate a flood-resilient design solution that is capable of rising and falling with the water. In order to ensure the well-being of the inhabitants, I will analyze a number of case studies, notably the Netherland’s water dwellings, New Orleans’s amphibious residences and Sausalito’s floating communities, for the purpose of identifying key themes that will facilitate the construction of a single-family amphibious residence in Redwood City. This project is a response to environmental design challenges raised by ongoing atmospheric events such as the gradual rise in sea level and disastrous events such as Hurricane Katrina in 2005 where extreme flooding due to failed coastal defenses exhibited catastrophic effects on coastal residences, its inhabitants, and the surrounding ecosystem.

Att bo i husbåt är en boendeform som fortfarande håller på att etableras på bostadsmarknaden, och regelverket kring detta är nästintill obefintligt. Det har inte återfunnits någon lagstiftning som hanterar boende på vatten och det råder tvivel om vad som gäller vid upplåtelse av husbåtar vid en kajplats. Reglerna kring upprättandet av husbåtar faller mellan plan- och bygglagstiftningen och hamnens egna regler vilket gör att det inte konkret går att säga vilken upplåtelseform som är den mest tillämpbara sett för både markägaren och den som vill bo på vatten. För att få svar på frågeställningarna i denna studie har intervjuer genomförts med olika parter dessutom har olika lantmäteriförrättningar, där vattenfastigheter bildats, analyserats. Intervjuerna genomfördes sedan med telefonintervju med semistrukturerad metod samt via mailkonversation med några enstaka respondenter. Avtalshandläggare, nyttjanderättshavare, mäklare, ett företag som producerar flytande villor och en förrättningslantmätare kontaktades för att få olika perspektiv på upplåtelsen av kajplatserna. Analysen av förrättningsakterna gav en djupare förståelse över hur fastighetsbildning på vatten sker. Respondenterna i studien uppfattade den svenska lagen lika ofullständig som författarna gjorde när det gäller boende på vatten. Resultaten visar att beroende på vilken typ av boendeform kan lagen tillämpas på olika sätt. Studien visar att den bästa lösningen för flytande villor borde vara att bilda vattenfastigheter, vilket skulle göra att villan blir fastighetstillbehör. Detta skulle göra att belåningen av villan är möjlig. När det handlar om husbåtar som är i form av ett fartyg visar studien att den bästa lösningen för denna boendeform är att tillämpa lägenhetsarrende med längsta möjliga upplåtelsetid som är 25 år. Att ha lägenhetsarrende gör det dock svårt för belåningen. / To live on a house boat is a housing form that still is establishing on the housing market, but the regulations about this are almost non-existent. You cannot find any legislation regarding living on the water today and there are doubts about what applies for grants of house boats at a berth. The rules about establishment of house boats falls between the “plan- och bygglagen” and the rules of the harbor, which makes it difficult to say which one of the grant agreement that is the most applicable for the property owner and the person who wants to live on the water. To get answers the questions in this thesis interviews were performed with different parties and different cadastral procedures were analyzed regarding water properties. The interviews were completed by phone interviews with a semi structured method and with a few respondents the questions were put through email. In this thesis a few different respondents were asked to answer the questions, this to see different perspectives of the grant of berth. The different respondents that answered the questions were a few contract managers, usufructuary, a real estate agent, a lawyer, a company which produce house boats and a cadastral surveyor. The analysis of the cadastral procedures gave a deeper understanding how property formation on water can be done. The respondents in this thesis perceived the Swedish law as incomplete as the authors of this thesis regarding living on the water. The results show that the law can be applied in different ways depending on which type of housing form it is. The study shows that the best solutions for floating houses should be property formation, that will make the house real property and will make financing of the house possible. When house boats, which are formed like ships, the study shows that the best solutions for this housing form is to apply ground lease in general with the longest grant as possible, which is 25 years. To have ground lease in general as a solution makes it hard for the house boat owners to get a loan.