The Sydney Fish Market will officially open its doors on January 19, 2026, marking a major milestone as the first finished development in the ambitious Blackwattle Bay urban renewal project. Designed by the renowned Danish architecture firm 3XN in collaboration with Australian firms BVN and Aspect Studios, and constructed by Multiplex, the new facility replaces the outdated mid-20th-century warehouse that previously housed the market. Located approximately one mile southwest of Sydney's central business district, the project reimagines one of the world's largest fish markets by volume as both a functioning commercial hub and a vibrant public destination. The design balances the market's industrial operations with community spaces, creating a model for how working infrastructure can integrate seamlessly with civic life and waterfront access.
The building's most striking feature is its massive undulating roof canopy that spans roughly 20,000 square meters, creating an immediate visual landmark along Sydney's inner harbor. The roof structure, assembled from 594 glulam beams and 407 prefabricated roof cassettes, stretches for 200 meters and references both wave forms and fish-scale patterns in its design. This architectural gesture establishes a strong connection to the maritime context while providing essential shelter for market activities below. Within this expansive covered space, the design maintains the openness and human scale associated with traditional market halls, organizing vendor stalls and operational functions in a semi-open environment that prioritizes natural daylight and ventilation. The result is a contemporary interpretation of historic market typologies that feels both grand and approachable.
Rather than completely separating the wholesale operations from public areas, the architects embraced visual permeability as a core design principle. Carefully planned circulation routes and gathering spaces allow visitors to observe the working processes of the fish market from safe vantage points, creating an educational experience that reveals the journey of seafood from ocean to table. A stepped tribune connects the ground-level plaza to the public market areas, serving multiple functions as seating, an informal performance space, and a transitional element between the urban fabric and the waterfront. This architectural feature encourages visitors to linger and appreciate the bustling market activity while providing a physical link to the harbor. The design democratizes access to the working waterfront, a rare quality in modern urban development where industrial functions are typically hidden from public view.
The project delivers more than 6,000 square meters of public open space as part of the broader Blackwattle Bay renewal strategy, significantly expanding waterfront access for Sydney residents and tourists. A new waterfront promenade connects directly to Sydney's extensive 15-kilometer foreshore walk, creating a continuous pedestrian route from Rozelle Bay to Woolloomooloo. Landscape architecture by Aspect Studios incorporates wetland planting and biofiltration systems that manage stormwater naturally while supporting local ecological conditions. Plazas at either end of the market provide gathering spaces that can accommodate community events and daily leisure activities. This integration of landscape and infrastructure demonstrates a holistic approach to urban design that prioritizes environmental performance alongside public amenity.
Environmental stewardship extends beyond the building envelope into the harbor itself, where innovative marine conservation measures were implemented during construction. Seabin units installed in the water have already filtered billions of liters and captured millions of plastic items, directly addressing ocean pollution in the immediate harbor area. The design also includes seawall tiles, coral panels, and hanging fish habitats that support marine biodiversity along the foreshore, transforming the industrial waterfront into an active ecosystem. These features represent a commitment to regenerative design that goes beyond sustainability to actively improve environmental conditions. As the first completed component of the Blackwattle Bay transformation, the Sydney Fish Market establishes a high standard for future developments in the precinct, positioning infrastructure, public space, and landscape as interconnected elements of a renewed urban edge that serves both people and nature.
In other architectural developments across the globe, facade installation has begun at OPPO's new headquarters campus in Shenzhen's Greater Bay Area, showing visible progress on the Zaha Hadid Architects-designed project. In France, Coldefy, working with Relief Architecture, has completed the Robert Badinter Secondary School in the northern region, featuring innovative learning spaces. Meanwhile, construction has officially started on the Innovation Park Artificial Intelligence Campus in Heilbronn, Germany, a 30-hectare development designed by MVRDV that aims to become an international hub for responsible AI research and development. These projects collectively demonstrate how contemporary architecture is addressing diverse programmatic needs while pushing technological and environmental boundaries in different cultural contexts.
