The Club at The Trees

The Club is a community centre at The Trees, a mixed-use development by Godrej Properties Ltd., built across one of India’s largest privately-owned mangrove forests. It connects the project’s public and the private zones, sitting across its commercial hub between two residential blocks. It hosts recreational facilities built around the idea of ‘Reinterpret, Recall and Reconnect’: a gymnasium, badminton and squash courts, rooftop golf putting greens, a herb garden, spa treatment rooms, a café, and a mini-theatre, becoming the natural hub for the community and underscoring its primary role as a space to come together. The Club’s architectural vocabulary is rooted in the industrial site’s rich history —Vikhroli, established in the 1940s as India’s first industrial township, is integral to the Godrej Group’s legacy — and builds on the story of Imagine Studio, a project 200 metres away and completed by the same team in 2015 that transformed two former co-generation plants, a boiler room, and three chemical silos into a marketing centre. For instance, the memory of an old glycerine plant with a distinct vault-edged ceiling was used as inspiration for the multipurpose hall while five interconnected, free-standing pods that house multiple functions reference the striking form of erstwhile silos while paying homage to the mangrove belt. The Club is a commemorative space, yet future-forward – embodying the spirit of Godrej in its present form, while celebrating its illustrious past. It bridges the modern and the historical, the built and the natural, and the private and the public to help catalyse the community's needs. The external expression of The Club’s structures defers to the scale of their surroundings. These sculptural silhouettes contrast with the relatively severe geometry of the residential towers and seek to reconnect the residents with the history of the site. The buildings express timelessness through a palette of materials that will develop a patina with time, conveying their age. A juxtaposition of concrete, COR-TEN steel, zinc, and timber add their ever-evolving character to the narrative – their relationship with the site strengthening over time as the inhabitants of The Trees layer their own stories onto the site through their shared spaces and experiences. In response to Mumbai’s warm-humid climate, the design integrates passive and low-tech climate control mechanisms; 100 percent of the wastewater is treated on-site, and all rainwater is either harvested or used to recharge groundwater. All glazed surfaces are shaded, and the net volume of space needing air conditioning has been minimised through all circulation spaces being naturally ventilated and shaded to reduce the overall ambient temperature. Moreover, the material palette requires minimal maintenance and upkeep, resulting in a reduced carbon footprint over time. Additionally, existing vegetation on the site has been retained and augmented, becoming a key element in building the site's natural, environmental, and built legacy narrative.