Communities in sinking island nations face not only physical displacement due to rising seas, but also the potential loss of their cultural identity, governance structures, and ways of life. "Designing for Rising Seas: Architecture as a Tool for Cultural Continuity in Climate Adaptation" presents a field-based architectural framework developed through research in Tuvalu and the Marshall Islands, two of the world’s most climate-vulnerable island nations. Through fieldwork with government ministries, engineers, faith leaders, cultural custodians, and youth, this research documents how architecture can operate as a mediator between ecological change and cultural resilience. The session introduces twelve adaptation principles that translate indigenous ecological knowledge, spatial governance practices, and climate adaptation strategies into architectural tools. Participants will examine approaches such as land raising, hydrological integration, hybrid material systems, and digitally supported cultural preservation to understand how these methods reinforce community safety, cultural continuity, and long-term resilience. By reframing climate adaptation as an architectural responsibility rather than solely an engineering challenge, this course invites designers to consider how built forms, spatial systems, and planning logics can sustain culture as environments change. Attendees will leave with transferable strategies for applying these principles to vulnerable coastal regions worldwide.