Ian McKay (1932–2015) graduated from the NSW University of Technology in 1953 after working part-time for Hennesey, Hennesey and Hennesey during his student years. He then joined Joseland and Gilling, where he worked for about two years, before departing for the UK and Europe. Between travels, he worked in London for Handyside and Taylor and in Holland for Van der Broek and Bakena; he also attended a summer school in Venice and a CIAM conference in Dubrovnik. On return to Sydney around 1958, he joined Collard and Clarke, then established his own practice around 1960. At around the same time, he began the three-year part time town and country planning course at the University of Sydney. With fellow students Douglas Gordon, Bruce Rickard and Neville Gruzman, he produced a redevelopment scheme for The Rocks; graduting from the course in 1963. For three or four years in the early 1960s, he worked 'in Association’ with Philip Cox and won two RAIA awards for their buildings – including works at Tocal Agricultural College, the Woden Food Centre (demolished), and blacktown Presbyterian Church.
McKay lost his memory and documentation for many of the buildings he completed, but recalled a total of about 25 projects in Sydney, including the Allen house at Mt Colah (published in Architecture Australia), the La Salle 15-storey shopping centre on the corner of King and Castlereagh Streets and a shopping centre at Avalon. He did not seek much publicity or enter awards and left Sydney permanently to live in Byron Bay around 1990.
Sources
—McKay, Ian. 2004. Conversation with Davina Jackson, November.
—Taylor, Jennifer. 1990. Australian Architecture Since 1960. Canberra: Royal Australian Institute of Architects.
Also see:
Cox, Philip. 2015. 'Ian McKay (1932–2015).’ Architecture Bulletin (Obituary), Spring edn, p. 34.
- Writers:
-
Davina Jackson
- Date written:
- 2015
- Last updated:
- 2016
