Project design
World renowned Danish architects 3XN have worked with Sydney firms BVN and Aspect Studios to create more than just a fish market. The teams have worked to create a major cultural facility that enhances the existing authentic market operations while providing generous public amenity to unlock the waterfront for all to enjoy.
Waterfront promenade
The project will deliver an extended foreshore promenade, connecting the existing Glebe foreshore promenade to Pyrmont.
The amphitheatre staircases and the foreshore promenade wrap over the operational wharf, allowing people to enjoy the authentic operations of the fish market.
An authentic working fish market
New wharves will be built to allow fishers to unload their catch and berth their vessels. The design of the wharves has been developed through extensive consultation with local rowing clubs, dragon boaters and representatives from the fishing fleet.
The building's design provides visual connections between the public areas, wholesale market and wharf operations to connect the public with an authentic fish market experience.
Public market hall
The new Sydney Fish Market will be the biggest in the Southern Hemisphere, supporting professional fishers and coastal fishing towns from up and down the NSW coast.
It will include a variety of fishmongers, restaurants, cafes, bars, and specialty food retailers in a market hall setting.
An architectural icon
The renewal of the facility will bring more than just a fish market while creating a substantial cultural legacy for Sydney through its design excellence, public art and public domain offering.
Healthy materials
The main structure that supports the roof cassettes is made from timber. The roof is built from repetitive modular elements, creating a seemingly complex shape from a relatively simple system. This modular pre-fabrication approach will minimise waste of materials, and help ensure a safe and resource-efficient building process.
The floating roof
The roof has been carefully designed to create the impression of a gentle wave like moving canopy, encompassing a bustling market underneath.
A large, floating canopy reveals the life of the market inside, making apparent the diverse activities and events that happen at the new Sydney Fish Market.
The roof surface responds to the sun, permitting reflected light to naturally illuminate the upper levels while screening out direct rays. Finally, the entire surface operates as a water harvesting device, recycling rainwater for use.
A sustainable landmark
Sustainability has been at the heart of designing the new Sydney Fish Market, with a specific goal of pushing the boundaries of ecological sustainability and targeting world-leading initiatives.
Key sustainability initiatives include:
30% reduction in energy use, enough to power 380 homes per year
Use of sustainable materials during construction to avoid 100,000 tonnes of CO2
50% reduction in water use. Equivalent to saving the water from 80 Olympic pools a year
Pioneering research projects to enhance biodiversity and improve the water quality
Beneficially reusing 6,000 tonnes of food and fish scraps. Equivalent to the waste produced by 4,000 homes each year
6,000 tonnes of CO2 avoided in operation each year. Equivalent to taking 1,300 cars off the road
Energy generation
The size and geometry of the roof make it suitable for energy production from photovoltaic (PV) panels integrated into the design of the roof to create the optimal balance between energy harvesting, aesthetics and practical implications regarding maintenance and buildability.
Natural ventilation
The new Sydney Fish Market will be largely naturally ventilated. The roof plays a pivotal role in the ventilation strategy that will both help distinguish the market and reduce the energy consumption for mechanical ventilation.
Indirect daylight
The raised skylights of the roof are oriented to permit the influx of indirect daylight from south, while shading direct sunlight from north. This simple geometric form helps minimise energy consumption for electrical light while maximising the amount of healthy daylight, that will help convey the feeling to the visitors of being under a canopy in an authentic market.
Creating new public space in Blackwattle Bay
The new Sydney Fish Market creates an exciting opportunity to transform currently inaccessible harbourfront land and deliver a variety of new public spaces. This will allow people to access the head of Blackwattle Bay for the first time since industrial uses took over in the 19th century.
More than 6,000 square metres of new public space will include:
- The urban park
- Waterfront promenade
- The local plaza
- Bridge Road promenade.
