Blackwattle Bay to emerge as premier student destination, delivering a transformative harbourfront community with unrivalled amenity.
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.
Further information is available at: www.thelivingcompany.com.au.
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