E.J. McCoy, architect

Abstract

Biographies published during the lifetime of their subject are usually of questionable value if they try to establish judgements before time and history can refute them. This report, therefore, has no other purpose than to provide an insight into the development of a contemporary New Zealand Architect. I will examine the evolutionary stages evident in the Architect's development by carrying out a study of the images that McCoy strove to create during these various stages. By considering the basic elements in the Architect's makeup and the sources from which these elements grew, a valuable insight into the formative processes of the Architect's beliefs and convictions will be gained. I have relied heavily upon quotations from the Architect in order to make this report more immediate and to place as few barriers between the reader and the Architect. The use of such quotations will also serve to emphasise the intensity that McCoy feels about his work and architecture in general.