Spaces: Alto234

THE TOP OF AFRICA WITH ALTO234

Located on The Leonardo’s 57th floor in Johannesburg is Alto234. Dubbed as the highest bar in South Africa, The Leonardo is the tallest building in Africa. The word ‘alto’ means height in Latin and 234 is how tall the building stands in metres. The space’s interior design is inspired by Johannesburg’s mining history, the city ’s rich vegetation and the building’s architectural style. Varoom Interiors worked on the space.

Alto234 can accommodate up to 100 people and has internal and external seating. According to Varoom, complementing The Leonardo’s architecture – its exposed concrete, visible roof tins and steel supports – was key to the design. Minimal décor was used to ensure less distraction of the view. From Alto234, visitors have a 360-degree view of Johannesburg.

The team used bold greens and oranges to represent Johannesburg’s trees and sunset views, while the black and brass metals represent the city ’s mining history. Seating is arranged in a way that captures the views from all angles and the bar is split into seven areas. For cooler days, the space has three gas firepits.