Shaping Space with Purpose: Camille Peignet’s Climate-Resilient Surf House on San Francisco’s Great Highway

Since joining Red Dot Studio eight years ago, French Spatial Designer Camille Peignet has lent her skill to an impressive list of award winning projects, such as the adaptive reuse of the historic Guerrero/Social House and the climate-conscious Mint Hill Home, that have proven her ability to blend sustainability with refined, human-centered design, crafting spaces that are both resilient and deeply connected to their environment.

“My long-term career goals are to continue innovating and offering human, creative, and inspired designs, while working on projects that are ever closer to the inhabitants and more respectful of the environment,” explains Spatial Designer Camille Peignet. “I aim to make a better narrative for a simpler and enhanced life. I aspire to create designs that not only look aesthetically pleasing but also solve complex spatial and functional problems creatively. My design process at Red Dot Studio starts with nature.”

Exemplifying this approach is one of Peignet’s most striking recent projects, the Great Highway Surf House. Situated directly across from the Pacific Ocean in San Francisco, the home offered Peignet a unique design challenge in figuring out how to balance luxury, functionality, and climate resilience in a space that needed to embrace the surrounding landscape while withstanding its elements.

Spatial Designer Camille Peignet shot by Gael Jaffrezic

The clients, a young surf-loving couple, envisioned a home that would naturally showcase views of the ocean, integrate sustainable systems, and reflect their laid-back yet refined aesthetic. Tasked with leading the project from construction drawings through completion, Peignet saw an opportunity to reimagine the home as an elegant, resource-conscious surf retreat, where thoughtful design decisions would shape not just the house but the way its owners experience daily life.

Recognizing Peignet’s sensitive design sensibility, intuitive understanding of flow and volume, and expertise in sustainable systems, Red Dot Studio founder and principal architect Karen Curtiss selected her to lead the project as both designer and project manager.

“The spaces were intended to reflect the clients' personalities, including private intimate areas and a more open, social space for gatherings and art-making,” explains Peignet. “The vision was to create more finished living spaces above the dune to take advantage of the ocean views, and designate less refined spaces downstairs due to potential flooding concerns. They also desired a connection between the ocean and Twin Peaks city views, creating a flow from front to back.”

With Peignet at the helm, what was once a deteriorating post-war developer style house, typical of those along the Great Highway with a poorly integrated second story “box” structure vulnerable to leaks and drafts, was transformed into a thoughtfully crafted space where sustainability and effortless coastal living meet.

Great Highway Surf House shot by Margaret Austin

Known for her ability to merge place, purpose, and personality, this project offered Peignet an opportunity to push the boundaries of regenerative design. From cork insulation and low-carbon concrete to a rooftop deck designed for both community and solitude, every element was carefully considered.

“We wanted the house to feel elevated but approachable,” she says. “It was about refining the design without overdoing it.”

One of the things that sets Peignet apart and makes her such a sought after force in contemporary spatial design is her attention to sustainable solutions and her respect for nature. For the Great Highway Surf House she brought in sustainable systems, such as water reuse and greywater collection, redesigned openings for light and views and strategically designated less refined spaces downstairs to be more resilient.

“Camille brought an incredible vision and design expertise that truly elevated the project. Her strength lies in her attention to detail, clear communication, and responsiveness,” explained the team at Saffron and Poe, the interior design firm on the project. “She ensures that nothing is overlooked and keeps everyone on the same page, which is crucial for a successful project. Her ability to balance creativity with practicality makes her an invaluable asset to any team.”

Great Highway Surf House shot by Margaret Austin

Another notable project for Peignet is Guerrero Social House, which speaks to her ability to reimagine a space without erasing its past. A former grocery store turned into a vibrant family home, the project challenged Peignet to honor the building’s layered history while integrating modern functionality and sustainable design, revealing her instinct for adaptive reuse and her ability to craft spaces that feel both timeless and deeply personal.

“We wanted to pay homage to the existing building, its wide-open shared spaces, its colors, its social fabric and connection to the garden, its good and funny vibes. But we also wanted the building to make sense on its own, without people having to ask the owners to explain everything,” explains Peignet.

“The owners have their own defined sense of aesthetic and expensive art collection, it wasn't their first renovation project so they had some of that experience. So it was a balance between paying homage to such a wonderful and special building and making sure the owners’ identity was also reflected in their house.”

An ‘in the envelope’ remodel, Peignet was tasked with improving the building's exterior components, such as insulation, waterproofing, and upgraded windows and doors to enhance energy efficiency and comfort, while also reconfiguring the interior to better suit the needs of a growing family. The renovation included an expansive kitchen, dining, and living area designed for seamless indoor-outdoor connection, a new one-car garage with EV charging, and a thoughtfully planned layout featuring a ground-floor guest bedroom with accessible features, two children's bedrooms with a shared bath, and a private primary suite with an en suite bathroom and large closet.

Nailing the mark, Peignet managed to preserve the integrity and quirkiness of the existing structure, salvaging materials wherever possible while transforming the home into a safe, sustainable, and character-rich living space.

"I hope people discover hidden joyful colors—a nod to the home’s past without feeling confined by it. The house unfolds in layers, shifting from neutral to vibrant, much like the contrast between its private, intimate façade and its open, social spaces,” says Peignet. “More than anything, I want visitors to be charmed by the warmth of the owners, sheltered from the street’s energy, and inspired by the textures, patterns, and art—while finding a sense of calm in the home’s connection to the garden.”

Moving forward, Peignet, who is at the top of her career and deeply attuned to the evolving landscape of architecture and sustainability, continues to explore how design can not only respond to but also shape a more resilient future. As architects and designers increasingly prioritize climate-conscious solutions, Peignet sees an opportunity to push sustainable design even further—beyond energy efficiency and material choices, toward regenerative systems that give back to the environment rather than simply minimizing harm.

She explains, “With Red Dot, we’ve always designed with passive cooling, daylighting, and natural ventilation to minimize reliance on mechanical systems, but we are bringing more and more attention to the materials and always exploring new ways of building more sustainably, when the project affords, surrounding ourselves with consultants such as sustainability consultant, water consultants, mechanical engineers, etc.”

Among Peignet’s upcoming projects with Red Dot Studio– and one that offers the perfect playing ground for furthering sustainability solutions and regenerative design practices– is Red Dot Ranch.

“The Ranch is a way to extend Red Dot Studio’s exploration of regenerative design practice with experimentation of building techniques and processes that are grown instead of mined,” says Peignet. “Food and shelter represent over 50 percent of greenhouse gases. We can heal ourselves and the future if we change these systems”

Essentially Red Dot Ranch is a regenerative farm where Peignet and the team intend to create nourishing food systems and grow the practice of architecture with outreach and education so the community can learn how to live, gather, eat, and build as beneficial parts of the ecosystem.

Whether working on a climate-resilient surf retreat or an adaptive reuse project in the city, Peignet brings an instinct for balancing past and future, structure and spontaneity, and luxury and sustainability. And, with an eye toward the future, there is no doubt that she will continue making a powerful and positive impact, not only on the architecture industry, but on humanity overall.