The opening of the Sydney Fish Market marks a significant milestone in the redevelopment of Sydney’s harbour foreshore at Blackwattle Bay. The new, modern market, along with public spaces, offers water access and features native plantings, large public seating and dining areas, and public art.
The building, designed by 3XN GXN in association with BVN Architecture and landscape architects ASPECT Studios and delivered by Infrastructure NSW on behalf of the NSW Government, is the largest fish market in the southern hemisphere and a major new civic landmark for the city. It establishes a community hub where workers, local people and visitors from near and far can come together to experience the fishing industry on the iconic Sydney Harbour.
Our practice has worked on waterfront projects around the world, consistently opening the edge between land and water to public life. The new Sydney Fish Market continues this approach: not simply as a beautiful and functional building, but as a civic threshold where harbour and city meet, inviting movement, exchange, and everyday encounters, and giving the waterfront back to the community.
Audun Opdal, Senior Partner, 3XN
The new fish market is anticipated to draw more than six million visitors to experience the excitement of the marketplace, which includes restaurants, cafés, and specialty vendors. The building features dedicated circulation paths and designated spaces for daily activities, allowing visitors to enjoy a safe experience while fully engaging with the lively atmosphere of the market, including the new Dutch-style Auction Hall.
The structure’s design features a 20,000 square metre roof with floating tiles, supported by a 200m-long structure of 594 ‘glulam’ timber beams and 407 pyramidal cassettes with solar panels, which reduce the daily building energy needs. The roof design also allows for the collection of water, half of which is filtered (through a wastewater treatment plant) for the potable water needs of the market. The fish market design solutions achieve 5 Star Green Star certification and include storage and logistics, with stringent hygiene and humidity controls to ensure they meet the operational demands of this large fish market.
The extensive glazing provides daylight and views from the fish market across the plaza to Blackwattle Bay. The plaza features generous planting, various forms of timber seating, and large trees for future shade, alongside public art and interpretation that reference the plaza’s past cultural and industrial uses.
Perched at the heart of Blackwattle Bay, the waterfront emerges as an inviting edge of water play and public art, celebrating cultures old and new. Native plantings and generous seating define the harbour, while an amphitheatre elevates the public realm into a lively stage. Green pockets and abundant seating introduce subtle ‘fishy’ references, while flashes of safety-red offer a crisp nod to the site’s industrial past.
Louise Pearson, Studio Director, ASPECT Studios
The plaza, part of the 15-kilometre foreshore walk from Rozelle to Wolloomooloo, offers over 6,000 square metres of public space linking Blackwattle Bay to Wentworth Park. It is designed to become the centre of the market experience, bridging the waterfront and the market while offering a public dining area with views from the market building to Sydney Harbour. This vibrant public space fosters a connection between the lively market atmosphere and the peaceful waters that supply its produce.
The indigenous planting, including wetland flora that filters stormwater and provides areas of green foliage and colour, softens the plaza. The water’s edge incorporates 3D-printed artificial coral panels to cover the tidal edge of the wharves, and the underwater structures of the fish market and plaza create habitats for marine life.
Sydney Fish Market
Location: Blackwattle Bay, Bridge Road, Glebe, Sydney, Australia
The Sydney Fish Market designed by 3XN GXN in association with BVN Architecture and landscape architects ASPECT Studios. Delivered by Infrastructure NSW on behalf of the NSW Government.
Client: Infrastructure NSW
Owner: Placemaking NSW
Tenant: Sydney Fish Market Company
Architect: 3XN GXN Architects in association with BVN Architecture
Landscape Architect: ASPECT Studios
Sustainability lead: GXN
Engineers
Civil Engineer (general): Mott MacDonald, AT&L
Civil (roof): AECOM, CSS
Electrical: AECOM, Stowe Australia
Hydraulic: CJ Arms, Harris Page & Associates
Mechanical: AECOM, Equilibrium/Climatec (Joint Venture)
Structural: Mott Macdonald, WSP
Transportation Engineer (nSFM): PTC
Transportation Engineer (Site Surrounds): Arup Vertical Transportation: AECOM
Consultants
Façade: Apex, PRISM
Logistics: S2D
Sustainability: Stantech, EMF Griffiths
Ergonomic: Dohrmann Consulting
Art Consultant: WallnerWeiss
Wind: Windtech
Acoustics/Vibration: SLR
ESD Consultant: Wood & Grieve
Flooding: Cardno
Heritage & Archaeology: CityPlan / Comber
Maritime Navigation: Royal Haskoning DHV
Visualisations: Mir, Doug & Wolf, Aesthetica Studio, 3XN
Urban Masterplanners: FJMT
Planning Consultant: BBC
BCA Consultant: Steve Watson Partners/Group DLA
Biodiversity: EcoLogical
Visual Impacts: UGDC / Clouston
General contractor: Multiplex
Photography: Rasmus Hjortshoj; Tom Roe;