Sydney, Australia

The Sydney Fish Market will be relocated from its existing location in Pyrmont to an adjacent wharf in Blackwattle Bay in Sydney Harbour within The Bays Precinct.

Centred around the new market, this stunning harbour front location will rival the world’s best markets and will include a variety of restaurants, cafes, bars, and food stalls showcasing Australian produce to the world.

Designed by 3XN together with BVN and Aspect Studios, the new market is to be located on the water and a park, and across the promenade.

But, rather than allowing the new building to become disruptive of the connection between the existing qualities, the design treats the New Sydney Fish Market as a critical component of the community: a catalyst for a strengthened relationship, both physically and through the identity, it offers to locals and visitors alike.

The amphitheatre staircases that lead from the plazas to the public market are a continuation of the surrounding landscape, establishing a foreshore promenade around Blackwattle Bay and opening a new public route along the water’s edge.

The foreshore promenade is integrated and expanded via paths that encompass and circulate the destination, and those that force more intimate interaction through permeability.

Flows from Bridge Road will be separated such that what is different functional uses may continue uninterrupted by each other.

Strategies that enable ease of operation and function are separating pedestrian and vehicular flows, through various configurations of the vehicles, securing connection for the markets to the wider community and necessary transport link for distribution of market products off-site.

By integrating nature into the building, an active link is created between the peaceful green park and the vibrant, social spaces of the markets, drawing the surroundings and its visitors into and through the market towards the water.

The prominence of the proposed site at the end of Blackwattle Bay seeks a unique response that requires the functional nature of the market to sit within and become integral to the extension of the harbour network and Sydney’s public waterfront domain.

While its key operation is industrial by nature, the ambition is to maintain focus on human scale and fine grain urban form within the city fabric.

A modular framework underpins the functional strategies of the facility and enables representation and ownership of stakeholders and user groups. The flexibility of the modular system enables spaces and places to overlap, change shape and form, to create new and diverse zones for different operations under the one roof.

“Sydney Fish Market is a beloved institution among Sydneysiders, Australians, and international visitors. Therefore, it was integral to select a design team that will modernize and improve the site while recognizing its long-standing heritage and retain the authentic experience that attracts customers and visitors,” states Bryan Skepper, Sydney Fish Market General Manager.

“3XN’s response places people at the centre, with an emphasis on place-making to foster a strong sense of community. The design excels in its ability to create value for all stakeholders; the fisherman, and restaurateurs as well as neighbours and tourists,” states Kim Herforth Nielsen, Founder and Creative Director at 3XN Architects.

Architects: 3XN, BVN and Aspect Studios
Developers: Infrastructure New South Wales