Architecture | Sanjay Puri Architects
Sanjay Puri Architects - CREST NINE - Anjarle - India
| 2026-03-05 |     |
Situated on a steeply contoured hill overlooking the Ocean in Anjarle, Maharashtra, India, Crest Nine is a community centre designed as a recreational hub for a gated villa enclave. The site drops sharply from the approach road, allowing the building to emerge gradually from the natural terrain, rather than sit upon it.
A sweeping curvilinear form follows the natural gradient of the land, with the entrance positioned 6 metres below the access road level. Visitors descend via a wide staircase and a gently curving ramp that runs alongside a sloping landscaped garden, arriving at the main circulation spine that stretches across the length of the building.
The built form transitions dramatically from a simple curvilinear entrance facade into a sequence of parabolic volumes of varying heights. These sculpted forms are interspersed with courtyards and landscaped pockets, creating a rhythmic interplay of built and open spaces.
The parabolic volumes house an indoor sports room, gymnasium, restaurant, bar, and four guest bedrooms. Each space opens onto generous curvilinear decks that frame expansive ocean views to the west. Above, a sectionally curved roof undulates across the structure—rising prominently above primary volumes and dipping between them to define intimate courtyard spaces. Deep overhangs extend over the decks, providing protection from sun and monsoon rains.
At the centre, an open stairway wraps around a circular courtyard, descending to the swimming pool level below. This lower level accommodates three pools, a health club, and an open cafeteria connected to a large, naturally ventilated multifunctional deck.
The building employs locally sourced laterite stone for its walls, rooting the structure materially and visually within its coastal context. Every internal space receives natural light, and nearly 70% of the built areas are naturally ventilated and non-air-conditioned. The roof structure comprises a metal framework finished with shingles.
By prioritising local materials and local contract labour, the project achieves a significantly reduced embodied carbon footprint. Its reliance on passive cooling, natural ventilation, and daylighting further minimises lifecycle carbon emissions. Integrated seamlessly with the existing terrain, the community centre is perceived as a series of interconnected volumes of varying scales, linked by landscaped open spaces that encourage social interaction and flexible use.
About Sanjay Puri Architects
Sanjay Puri Architects have been ranked No 32 in Archello Amsterdam’s list of the Top 100 Architects worldwide. Archdaily, Architizer, New York, and WA UK include the firm in their lists of the Top 100 architects in the world.
The firm has won the world building of the year 2024 by World Architects Switzerland, Most Sustainable Architecture Firm of the Year by Architizer New York, and Practice of the Year by A&D Perspective Hong Kong. Sanjay Puri Architects have won over 540 awards, including 400 international architecture awards. Sanjay has been on the juries of the World Architecture Festival, Plan Awards Italy, Architecture Review Awards UK, Dezeen UK, Architizer New York, INDE Awards, Australia, Inscape Awards South Africa, and The Architecture Hunter Awards Canada.
The firm’s work has been published over 2,000 times in over 200 publications across the world. Currently, the firm includes a team of 108 professionals and is involved in over 200 projects in 55 cities. Evolving design solutions that are contextual and sustainable with architecture that explores spatial perceptions of innovative explorations forms the essence of the firm’s philosophy.
Photo credit: Vinay Panjwani