Sydney Fish Market reopens following major transformation

The new Sydney Fish Market opened to the public on 19 January 2026, with Mott MacDonald – the global engineering, management and development consultancy – serving as the project’s engineering and advisory partner.

The Sydney Fish Market has been Australia’s ‘home of seafood’ since 1966 and is the city’s third most visited tourist attraction, welcoming more than two million visitors annually. With visitation forecast to increase to over six million people each year, the original facility was no longer fit for purpose. In 2016, the NSW Government announced plans to redevelop the market as part of a multimillion-dollar revitalisation of the Blackwattle Bay precinct.

The new market, described as Sydney's most significant harbourside building since the Opera House, offers a vastly improved visitor experience and better supports auction operations. Features include upgraded supply chain facilities, vibrant retail and dining spaces, open public areas and a seafood cooking school.

Image credit: Infrastructure NSW

Image credit: Infrastructure NSW

Image credit: Infrastructure NSW

Mott MacDonald’s role in delivery

Appointed in 2017 as structural, civil and marine engineers for the reference design phase, Mott MacDonald has been supporting Infrastructure NSW as Technical Advisor across all engineering disciplines. Working alongside 3XN (lead architect), BVN and Aspect Studios, the team helped realise the market’s iconic wave-shaped timber roof and sustainable design features.

The company contributed expertise in modern methods of construction (MMC) – including offsite construction, prefabrication and design for manufacture and assembly (DfMA) – to accelerate delivery, improve quality control and reduce environmental impact. These innovations enhanced productivity, reduced onsite labour, increased onsite safety, and supported net-zero goals.

The timber roof, the largest in the southern hemisphere, was modelled using advanced digital workflows. Capturing more than 1000 tonnes of carbon, it provides natural ventilation, daylight, rainwater collection and supports 10,000m² of solar photovoltaic panels, meeting a significant share of the market’s energy needs. An onsite wastewater treatment plant, with the ability to treat 150,000 litres a day, will recycle water for cooling towers, daily wash-downs and irrigation.

Mott MacDonald also partnered with the University of New South Wales to incorporate 3D-printed coral elements beneath the structure, improving marine habitat along the sea wall.

Innovative thermal comfort and HVAC design

The market’s open design inspired a rethink of traditional heating, ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC) approaches. Spaces range from naturally ventilated to mixed-mode and fully air-conditioned, aided by roof shading, sea breezes and ice cooling. A centralised thermal plant using natural refrigerants replaced decentralised systems, improving space efficiency, cutting carbon and energy use, and enabling heat recovery to reuse waste heat for heating and hot water.

Delivering a landmark harbourside destination

Graham Babcock, project director and Australian buildings lead for Mott MacDonald, said: “The Sydney Fish Market redevelopment is a landmark project for Australia and a testament to what can be achieved through collaboration and innovation. We’re proud to have contributed engineering excellence and sustainable solutions that support decarbonisation and will serve the community for generations to come.”