A Shirahama coastal house by Curiosity and Atelier Haretoke on columns above the waterline, clad in yakisugi burnt cedar with a wind-deflecting roof

WA House is a single-story coastal residence in Shirahama, Japan, designed by Curiosity in collaboration with Atelier Haretoke. The building sits on a concrete foundation raised on columns, positioned so that wave surge can pass beneath the structure during storms rather than against it. The low profile of the house aligns with the sea horizon, keeping the building from reading as a presence imposed on the landscape.

The roof form is shaped to deflect coastal winds, its geometry calibrated to the conditions of this particular stretch of coast. The design draws on Gwenäel Nicolas's memories of the Atlantic coast, where low, wind-resistant structures have evolved from generations of coastal living. The entire exterior is clad in yakisugi, Japanese burnt cedar, which protects the timber against the harsh coastal climate and gives the building a dark surface that absorbs into the reef stone and dark sand of the surroundings rather than standing out against them. The house can be fully enclosed with yakisugi shutters, echoing the storm defenses of traditional Japanese buildings.

Inside, the program is pared back to 2 tatami rooms, an artist's studio, and a living room, all with unobstructed ocean views. The material palette throughout draws from the surrounding landscape: ceramic and tatami flooring in warm grey, rough-textured walls in the same register, and a continuous neutral tone that makes the interior feel like an extension of the terrain outside. Large sliding doors disappear entirely into the walls, removing the threshold between the living room and the terrace. Hidden lights, handles, and switches keep the surfaces uninterrupted. A lacquer piece by Genta Ishizuka hangs above the sofa as the interior's sole decorative gesture. The bathroom contains a tub hewn directly from the black stone floor, set below grade in a form that reads as excavated from the material rather than placed within it.