Architect and television host Anthony Burke has praised Sydney's new fish market as a "brave" building, one of few in Australia, while launching a blistering critique of the nation's housing stock.
Burke, professor of architecture at UTS and host of Grand Designs Australia, visited the $800m Pyrmont market, which has been listed by Time magazine as one of the world's greatest places of 2026. He admired its sweeping timber, glass and steel roof, which carries 400 solar panels, and noted the complex brief took 10 years to deliver.
Speaking of the old fish market site, which will be replaced by four tower blocks, he described the development as a "necessary evil" and trade-off to pay for the new building. But his most pointed remarks were reserved for Australian homes, which he said are "killing us".
He criticised houses for being too big, with too many toilets and insufficient trees, as well as a lack of insulation and the presence of volatile organic compounds in materials. "People don't stay in a house long enough to get attached," he said, noting the average turnover is now 11 years. He added that an exclusive focus on return on investment means "we miss out on actually living a life".
Burke also highlighted the social dimension of design, noting that one in three Australians experiences loneliness each year. He said architecture shapes how we live and affects physical health and emotional wellbeing.
