Iconic new landmark attracts visitors to Blackwattle Bay

The new Sydney Fish Market designed by Tenderstream members 3XN GXN and BVN Architecture, alongside landscape architects ASPECT Studios, has opened to the public. The first project to be completed as part of the urban renewal of Blackwattle Bay, the 10.4 ha site joins a string of the city’s iconic harbour sites, including Sydney Opera House and the Royal Botanic Gardens. Delivered by Infrastructure NSW on behalf of the NSW Government, the building is the largest fish market in the southern hemisphere and a major new civic landmark for the city. It establishes a 24/7 community hub where workers, locals and visitors can come together to celebrate the fishing industry in a world-class waterfront setting.

The publicly accessible market hall level will accommodate 12,200 sq m of fishmongers, restaurants, cafés and specialty vendors. The design separates various circulation flows, enabling the daily operations of a working fish market to safely coexist with public visitors. Generous, external stairs gently ascend each face of the building’s perimeter, guiding visitors from the public domain into the heart of the market. The Auction Hall accommodates 160 buyers, with large screens displaying auction information. Visitors can watch the daily activity from the adjacent market hall or from the southern promenade, through the expansive glazed facades. 

Audun Opdal, senior partner at 3XN, stated: “The fish market uniquely blends a fully functioning commercial operation with high-quality public space, delivering an authentic market experience rooted in the context of its prime waterfront location while enhancing the entire surrounding precinct.”

An undulating 20,000 sq m floating roof unifies the entire complex with sustainable technology. Weighing 2,500 tonnes, the roof is composed of 594 glued laminated ‘glulam’ timber beams and 407 pyramidal aluminium cassettes lined with solar-panels, reducing the building’s daily energy consumption. Naturally ventilated retail spaces embrace passive design principles, using the breeze blowing across the harbour water to naturally cool the air. Artificial coral panels cover the tidal edge of the market’s wharves, while underwater lattice structures suspended from the underside of market provide new habitats for sea life. 

Catherine Skinner, principal at BVN, stated: “The project’s location demanded a structure capable of managing salt water and air, humidity, cold-chain logistics and heavy machinery - all while welcoming millions of visitors a year. Achieving that balance of opposing pressures shaped every decision that was made.” 

Lucy Nordberg
Tenderstream Head of Research

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