City Talks: Bill McKay

The City Talks event on Monday 19 September features Bill McKay who will talk on his book Worship: A History of New Zealand Church Design. The book surveys some of our most significant buildings of the last 200 years, and is illustrated by award-winning photographer Jane Ussher.

Bill McKay invites us to consider the future of our church buildings in an era witnessing a decline in the relationship between spiritual and civic life. Given their fascinating history, he asks how we identify which buildings we want to maintain and care for, and how we share the costs for earthquake strengthening and maintenance as communities are forced to reconsider how we value our built environment.

Bill McKay is a senior lecturer in the School of Architecture at University of Auckland. As an active writer and researcher, he focuses on New Zealand architectural history. McKay works as a critic and writes regularly for Architecture NZ magazine.

Bill McKay’s City Talk begins a week of activities supporting Architecture Week in Wellington in a conversation about the changing face of our cities.

Starts at 6pm, followed by refreshments.