On January 19, 2026, the Sydney Fish Market, designed by 3XN in collaboration with BVN and Aspect Studios and delivered by Multiplex, officially opened its doors. This modern facility, located approximately one mile southwest of Sydney’s Central Business District, not only replaces the original market but also redefines the functional attributes of one of the world’s top fish markets under the Sydney Government’s urban renewal plan, transforming it into a composite space that serves both as work infrastructure and a leisure destination for citizens.
The design of the project is highly ingenious, with a large wave-shaped roof canopy as its core highlight. Inspired by wave forms and fish scale patterns, it creates a distinct visual landmark along the harbor edge. Covering an area of 20,000 square meters, the roof consists of a 200-meter-long canopy assembled from 594 glued laminated timber beams and 407 prefabricated roof components, forming a continuous sheltered space below. The interior of the building inherits the openness and human-scale dimensions of traditional market halls, with stalls and operational functions scientifically arranged in a semi-open environment to fully ensure natural lighting, ventilation, and spatial continuity—meeting the Sydney Government’s requirements for urban public buildings to balance practicality and user experience. This innovative design has also made the project a standout in latest architecture news, showcasing a successful integration of functionality and aesthetic vision.
Unlike traditional markets, the building breaks down the isolation between market operations and public areas, adopting visual transparency as its core layout principle. Visitors can safely observe the operation of the wholesale market through carefully designed circulation routes and gathering spaces, indirectly participating in the core function of the building. The stepped stands not only connect the ground-floor square with the public market area but also serve as seating and informal activity spaces, acting as a natural transition between the urban fabric and the waterfront.
In terms of public space expansion, the project has created over 6,000 square meters of open space. The newly built waterfront promenade connects the site to Sydney’s 15-kilometer-long foreshore trail, linking Rozelle Bay to Woolloomooloo and further improving the urban waterfront trail network planned by the Sydney Government. The plazas at both ends of the market incorporate landscape designs by Aspect Studios, featuring wetland plants and biofiltration systems to effectively manage rainwater and improve the site’s ecological conditions.
The project’s environmental protection strategy runs through its entire lifecycle, extending not only to the building envelope but also to harbor ecological governance. During the construction phase, installed Seabin devices have filtered billions of liters of seawater and captured millions of plastic items; meanwhile, the introduction of seawall tiles, coral slabs, and suspended fish habitats has strongly supported the marine biodiversity of the foreshore. Replacing the mid-20th-century warehouse converted into a market, the new building reorients the Sydney Fish Market toward the harbor. While upholding its core operation in the seafood industry, it prioritizes public accessibility, visibility, and connection to the waterfront.
As the pioneering project of the Blackwattle Bay transformation, under the overall planning of the Sydney Government, it has laid a solid framework for the future development of the region, treating infrastructure, public spaces, and landscapes as an organic whole for urban edge renewal and providing a highly valuable practical model for global urban renewal and sustainable architectural development.
