Living on a boat is an affordable way of life in London, for some, a step up from homelessness. But mooring spaces (places to park a boat) are increasingly hard to find, due to increased demand, their removal, and neglected infrastructure. However, there are many unused waterways in London, like Channelsea River, where a group called Surge Cooperative are based. This project has been inspired by conversations with them on their regular river cleans.

Water Squatting uses legal loopholes of squatter’s rights which bypasses asking for permission to occupy space: tidal land is owned by the Crown and can be rented for one penny for 100 years; and all non-residential property, like on Channelsea Island, can be legally occupied without permission providing no damage is caused and utilities are not used without permission. Water Squatters occupy land by straddling it so as not to disturb it, and they harvest rainwater and solar energy to stay off-grid.

The architecture is responsive to the users changing environmental and spatial needs, through using moving mechanisms and ad-hoc self-build systems from London’s waste material. It facilitates communities to participate in decision making for the people, by the people.