The Living Company Secures Landmark Blackwattle Bay Site for Student Residences Adjacent To Sydney Fish Market

The Living Company’s purpose-built student accommodation business has secured a landmark  development site as part of the NSW Government’s strategic renewal of Blackwattle Bay. 

Adjacent to the new $836 million Sydney Fish Market building, the mixed-use precinct is on the  site of the former fish market. The development will broadly be delivered by Mirvac, and will  feature Scape’s amenity filled student accommodation alongside residential apartments,  commercial and retail space, and significant public domain improvements, establishing  Sydney’s next world-class waterfront neighbourhood. 

Situated on the edge of Pyrmont, just minutes from Sydney’s CBD and leading universities, the  precinct is being designed as a connected and vibrant waterfront community. The Living  Company’s new Scape student residence will play a central role in this vision - adding  high-quality, professionally managed accommodation that complements Mirvac’s broader  precinct delivery and supports Sydney’s growing student population. 

The Scape development will comprise a 26-storey building, delivered as part of the first stage  of the broader masterplan for the recently acquired Mirvac development rights, providing  hundreds of modern student-living spaces, including a mix of self-contained studios  complemented by generous communal facilities. Designed to foster wellbeing and connection,  the building will feature dedicated study areas, lifestyle amenities, and landscaped outdoor  spaces within a secure, community-focused environment. 

A strong commitment to place and public benefit underpins the NSW Government’s vision for  the wider precinct, which includes delivery of a missing link in Sydney’s otherwise 15-kilometre  harbour walk, delivered before the first residents move in. 

Social infrastructure is woven into the fabric of the Mirvac vision for the site, from community  gardens and recreation spaces -serving health and wellbeing amenities. 

Sustainability is embedded in the precinct’s design, guided by the vision for a resilient,  low-impact waterfront community. The precinct will be fully electric and powered by 100%  renewable energy, targeting Net-Zero Carbon by 2030-11-years earlier than the NSW  Government’s 2041 ambition. The Living Company’s latest student accomodation is targeting a  5 Star Green Star rating / PassivHaus equivalent, reinforcing its commitment to environmentally  responsible living. 

Stephen Gaitanos, Founder and Joint CEO of The Living Company, said: 

"Blackwattle Bay represents an ideal opportunity for us to contribute meaningfully to Sydney’s  future and really deliver on our promise to create and shape communities where people truly

belong. Our vision is to deliver a high-amenity, globally competitive student-living community  that supports the city’s education sector and enhances the vibrancy of this extraordinary  waterfront precinct." 

Anouk Darling, CEO Scape Australia, The Living Company’s student living brand,  acknowledged "Sydney is one of the world's most extraordinary places to study, a harbour  city that offers students not just a world-class education, but an experience that shapes who  they become.  

“Blackwattle Bay will be unlike anything we've delivered before, a truly iconic address on  Sydney's harbourfront that reflects the ambition and global standing of this city as a study  destination. We are proud to play a role in this landmark precinct and in welcoming students  from around the world to call it home." 

Backed by long-term global investment partners, The Living Company continues to expand its  national student-living platform, Scape. The Blackwattle Bay project marks a major milestone in  this strategy and reinforces the company’s leadership in delivering large-scale, institutionally  backed student accommodation. 

Planning and design work is expected to commence immediately, with development timeframes  aligned with the NSW Government’s broader Blackwattle Bay delivery program.