With climate studies predicting that up to one third of Boston’s land mass could be at risk for severe flooding by 2100, the city of Boston, the Boston Harbor Association and the Boston Society of Architects are sponsoring a design competition for projects built to withstand rising tides.

The contest is funded by an $86,000 grant from the Massachusetts Office of Coastal Zone Management and a $35,000 award by the Barr Foundation to the Boston Harbor Association. It seeks creative design solutions for three at-risk waterfront sites in Boston.

At a press conference, the harbor association and Watertown-based architects Sasaki Assoc. released their latest report on flood-adaptive development strategies, citing a dozen case studies from Seoul to New Orleans.

“These cities have recognized that it is financially, culturally and ecologically beneficial to work with water, instead of fighting to keep every last drop out,” Julie Wormser, executive director of the Boston Harbor Association, said in a statement.

Case studies include floating apartment buildings, canals, floodable first floors and floodable open space within cities.

At Johnson & Wales University’s campus in Providence, for example, Tsoi/Kobus & Assoc. designed the Cuisinart Center For Culinary Excellence with classrooms and labs on the second through fourth floors, while the first floor was built using submergible materials such as tile and concrete. Utilities and other equipment are located above flood levels, while the first-floor lobby and loading dock are enclosed with break-away glass and brick panels.

Participants in the contest will be asked to come up with designs for three sites on the Boston waterfront, which will be announced this fall. In addition to flood adaptation, the competition encourages designs that add recreation areas and marsh habitats.