People
Derek Denckla, Esq., has a long history of working on urban housing issues from a variety of perspectives: housing rights advocate, landlord-tenant lawyer, housing court reformer, and now—socially-responsible real estate developer. Every one his diverse endeavors has been guided by an entrepreneurial spirit, piloting new programs and projects. Launching his own management consulting practice in 2001 to aide non-profits, Propeller Group, he sought to facilitate strategic partnerships between non-profits and for-profit investors in order to create value for his clients, their community and the City. He has both worked solo and formed strategic partnerships including Dwelling Research Corp, PDS Development, Artopolis, Atkins & Breskin, Third Ward, R & E Brooklyn, Weeve Projects, and GMDC, to name a few.He is a musician in a working band, Building 6 (Vague Moon), and he is trained as an attorney where he has achieved some of the professions highest honors, including clerking for United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit and acting as an adjunct professor at his law school alma mater, Fordham University School of Law . He completed his undergraduate studies at Columbia College, Columbia University, and University of Sussex, Brighton, United Kingdom. He is a member of the Land Use Committee of the Association of the Bar of City of New York. Mr. Denckla also operates Derek Denckla, Attorney PLLC, a legal services company, and Dwelling Research Corp., a real estate management firm.
Ian Rasch, MBA, Director of Development
Ian Rasch has worked on Green Development and Affordable Housing projects in the US and abroad. He brings over 10 years experience as a project manager and developer. Prior to joining Propeller Group, Mr. Rasch worked for Turner Construction in New York. Notable projects include: The Hearst Tower, an award winning, 46-storey USGBC LEED Gold certified commercial high rise, The Solaire and Verdesian Green apartment buildings in Battery Park City, and The Memorial Sloan-Kettering Breast and Imaging Center. Mr. Rasch has also been involved in community development and affordable housing projects in Volkhov Russia, Lapland Finland, and Sao Paulo Brazil.
Ian Rasch holds a bachelor’s degree from Oberlin College and a Master’s degree from New York University’s Real Estate Institute. In addition he has received certification from the Project Management Institute (PMI) and is a member of the Construction Management Association of America (CMAA). In his spare time he continues to perform and teach classical cello. He has studied and collaborated with today’s most prominent musicians including: David Zinnman, Lynn Harrell, Yehuda Hanani, and The Emerson and St. Petersburg String Quartets.
Gregory Merryweather, R.A., is the principal of Gregory Merryweather: Architect LLC. He is a registered architect in New York State. He has a long-term interest in innovative architectural design which he brings to all of his projects and his teaching. He gained some of his most valuable professional experiences working with Bernard Tschumi Architects; New York, New York, taking the role of Head Designer or Project Manager on such projects as Museum of Modern Art Extension Competition. He has also worked as a designer on a variety of residential, commercial, cultural and mixed-use projects for several other architecture firms, including Reiser + Umemoto Architects, New York, New York; 1100 Architect, New York, New York; Richard Gluckman Architect, New York, New York; and Eisenman Architects, New York, New York. As an independent or associate to other firms from 1996 to the present, Mr. Merryweather has undertaken many commercial and residential projects of varying scopes, including American Apparel LES Boutique, New York, NY (with JPDA LLC), a 1600 SF commercial renovation in 2003 and 316 Cumberland Street, Brooklyn, NY, a 3900 SF residential renovation and addition in 2003.
Mr. Merryweather received his Masters in Architecture from Columbia University in New York City where he was awarded NYSA Matthew Del Gaudio Award, for excellence in overall design. He completed his undergraduate work at The Ohio State University, Columbus, Ohio, where he received the Faculty Prize for Excellence in Design. His project and competition work has been recognized and discussed in a wide variety of publications including but not limited to Architectural Record, Architecture, Architectural Review, The New York Times, Details, Domus, Progressive Architecture, A+U. Mr. Merryweather is a committed professor of architecture, teaching throughout his career at several institutions including Woodbury College, Burbank, California; Pasadena City College, Pasadena California; and currently Pratt Institute, Brooklyn, New York. He is also a principal of Dwelling Research Corp.