- Project: NINE X NINE House
- Architect: Sanjay Puri Architects
- Location: India, Gandhinagar, Gujarat
- Year: 2025
- Area: 1672 m2
- Photography: Vinay Panjani, Ishita Sitwala
Emergence Among Nine Trees
NINE X NINE House is conceived as a home woven through nine existing trees. The architecture threads fluid volumes around these arboreal anchors, integrating built form and nature in an expressive, spatial dance. Rather than imposing upon the site, the design allows the forest to remain a co-creator—rooms curve, decks open, and courtyards punctuate volumes—all in relation to those living trunks.
Approach is understated: a gate at the northwest lifts a canopy of trees, and the house slowly reveals itself, piece by piece. The built mass is consciously biased to the southern side of the plot, leaving a generous northern garden as buffer and green spine.
T-Form Plan & Vertical Drama
The plan and section adopt a T-shape geometry—central spine splitting east and west. The entry level comprises social zones: living, dining, kitchen, and a guest bedroom, achieving ease of flow and outward orientation. Above sit three family bedrooms, each with double orientation to gardens and trees. Below, a sunken courtyard opens the subterranean level to light and air, connecting to garden via a sinuous staircase and a sculptural waterfall feature.
Key spatial moves:
- A spiral staircase anchors the central node.
- A sunken courtyard on the west side channels light and ventilation to lower levels.
- An undulating wall beside the stair acts as landscape and screen, with integrated waterfall.
- A shallow reflecting pool on the northeast adds passive cooling.
- Deep cantilevered decks wrap living zones, offering shaded in-between spaces.
Passive Climate Strategy & Sustainability
Operating in a hot, arid region (35–50 °C summer range), NINE X NINE embeds climate strategies at its core: deep overhangs prevent solar gain; the sunken courtyard and water features lower ambient temperatures; cross-ventilation and stack effects are encouraged; rooms open to partially sheltered decks; and the design aims for minimal air-conditioning usage through passive cooling, water recycling, and rainwater harvesting.
Material Palette & Interior Attitude
The interior palette stays minimally refined to let context and structure shine: white marble floors refresh light; wooden furniture and joinery add organic warmth; muted accents keep things calm; and structural surfaces are finished to reveal texture and light-play.
Spatial Experience & Interiors
The architecture becomes a vessel: light, shadow, tree forms, and spatial flow take precedence over ornament. Double-height galleries amplify openness, while crafted screens filter light and create privacy. The central spiral stair choreographs movement and views.
Bedrooms & Private Realms
Upper-level bedrooms open into treetops and private decks. Corner glazing and minimal detailing keep the focus on filtered light and garden views, reinforcing the home’s calm, nature-led character.
Living Spaces & Artful Details
In the primary living areas, panoramic glazing merges inside with the northern garden; art pieces and timber screens add tactility and depth to the minimalist palette.
Why NINE X NINE Stands Out
- It embraces existing nature by weaving around the nine trees.
- It achieves spatial drama through folding volumes, a sunken courtyard, and spiral movement.
- It responds sensitively to climate with passive strategies and microclimates.
- It balances public and private life across vertical and horizontal stacks.
NINE X NINE House / Sanjay Puri Architects / India is architecture that grows with nature, breathes with climate, and inhabits light. It is a home of bold gestures and quiet rhythms—a monument of integration rather than assertion.
