2024 Ones to Watch - Innovators in CRE: Dominick Casale, IMC Architecture

Dominick Casale is a founding principal of  IMC Architecture, a Brooklyn, NY-based architecture, interior design, planning and consulting firm focused on commercial, multi-family, educational, healthcare, retail and worship markets. Since co-founding the studio in 2015 with partners Eugene Mekhtiyev and Jonathan Imani, Dominick has led architectural design work and regulatory and zoning reviews of a multitude of new construction, redevelopment and renovation projects. Leading IMC’s team of 18 designers and support personnel, he managed the $75 million residential conversion of the 37-story, 807-unit 63-67 Wall St. in Manhattan; new $15 million Congregation Bais Kosov in Brooklyn; and the Le Café at One Dag in New York City.

Innovative Outlook:
Local laws banning the use of fossil fuels, capping carbon emissions and requiring higher energy efficiency in commercial and multifamily buildings create opportunities for innovative architectural and engineering solutions, materials and building systems. Firms offering expertise in these fields will be in demand for the foreseeable future, while property owners will have more choices. This variety of technical options is illustrated in several conversion projects IMC is currently designing. In addition to the ongoing New Senate oil and gas to electric heat pump retrofit in Harlem, IMC is currently working on the electrification of heating by removing inefficient atmospheric boilers and installing new through-wall heat pump units in each apartment at the 118-unit Silver Leaf Hall supportive housing property in the Bronx, operated by the Lantern Organization.

Innovative Solution:
Environmentally-focused regulatory changes, both in New York City and nationwide, present both opportunities and challenges to the CRE and design industries. IMC Architecture has developed expertise in assisting property owners in improving energy efficiency and managing the NYC-required conversions from gas and oil to electrical heating and cooking systems. One of our current projects is the retrofit of the 135-unit, 40,000sf New Senate supportive housing residence for formerly homeless individuals in Manhattan, operated by Goddard Riverside. Our team, along with Rockabill Consulting and Magnusson Architecture, designed the upgrade and electrification of the entire property, including the replacement of an old oil heating infrastructure with a highly efficient heat pump system that provides both heating and cooling to all residences. This rehab is NYSERDA’s electrification program pilot project.