Timber iQ August- September 2018 // Issue: 39 | Page 22

PROJECTS
Nestled along 4 th Avenue in Melville, Mootee Bar is a cultural melting pot of note.
A wooden ode to Africa
While serving up a palatable taste of contemporary African
culture and cuisine, award-winning Mootee Bar in Johannesburg
respectfully pays architectural homage to timber, the continent's
most cherished natural material.
By Candace Sofianos King | Photos by Mootee Bar
M
elville’s 4 th Avenue is now home to the newly-
opened mixology darling Mootee Bar, an authentic,
unconventional interpretation of modern Africa.
Drawing myth-like inspiration from the continent’s magic,
mystery and history, Mootee seeks to entice the world to
Africa’s alluring richness in culture, energy and resources.
One notorious resource comes to mind once inside the
charming establishment – timber has attractively been used
in this space, namely its core attribute – its unmistakable
wooden bar. “The use of timber on this project was an easy
decision. Timber offers you a flexibility that most other
materials simply do not. It is malleable and can cope with
projects on extremely tight deadlines as pieces can be
20 AUGUST / SEPTEMBER 2018 //
installed in situ,” says Matthew Millar, chief architect at
Milarchi Architects.
Assigned to bringing architectural life to Mootee, Milarchi
Architects worked shoulder to shoulder with the