Mancini Recognized in Fast Company's 2026 100 Best Workplaces for Innovators

NEW YORK, Sept. 8, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- Mancini, a national architecture and design firm with a 110-year history, has earned the No. 69 position on Fast Company's 2026 list of the 100 Best Workplaces for Innovators.

The annual awards recognize organizations that give employees at every level the freedom, resources, and support to develop ideas that move their industries forward. Mancini was selected for a culture that empowers its architects and designers to look critically at how they work, identify opportunities for improvement, and build their own solutions.

At Mancini, innovation does not sit within a separate technology department. It comes directly from inside the practice. The people designing buildings are also designing the systems through which those buildings are imagined, tested, and delivered. Many of the firm's most transformative technologies began with employees questioning an everyday process and being given the opportunity to develop a better one.

"The people closest to the work understand its challenges better than anyone else, so we give our team the freedom to solve them," said Christian Giordano, President of Mancini. "Our responsibility as leaders is to give people the time and resources to pursue a good idea, remove the red tape, and trust them to take it somewhere. That is how innovation becomes part of a company's culture rather than simply something it talks about."

This philosophy led to the creation of Mancini's Design Lab, an internal incubator that brings together people from across the firm to explore emerging technologies, test ideas, and turn promising concepts into practical tools. It has also enabled architects and designers without traditional software development backgrounds to teach themselves new skills and create enterprise-level platforms tailored specifically to the needs of an architecture firm.

Among those innovations is MIKA, the Mancini Information and Knowledge Assistant, an internally developed AI platform that connects critical knowledge and workflows across the firm. What began as a response to an everyday operational challenge has grown into a broader system designed around how architects and designers actually work.

Mancini also developed and patented The Toolbelt, a suite of virtual and augmented reality technologies that allows project teams and clients to enter, experience, and modify designs in real time. Through the firm's 360 Design Sessions, clients can understand spatial relationships, test options, and make informed decisions much earlier in the design process. Those decisions are reflected directly in the project model, strengthening alignment, accelerating approvals, and reducing costly revisions later.

Together, these tools represent more than an investment in technology. They reflect Mancini's belief that a workplace becomes innovative when employees are trusted to challenge established processes and given a meaningful role in shaping what comes next.

Mancini joins companies including Google, Chipotle, Morgan Stanley, and GE among Fast Company's 2026 honorees.

The recognition follows another period of significant growth for Mancini. The firm ranked No. 52 on Interior Design's 2026 Top 100 Giants list and No. 25 on its 2026 Hospitality Giants list, rising 21 positions from No. 46 in 2025.

ABOUT MANCINI

Mancini Duffy is a national award-winning design firm with a legacy spanning over 100 years. Headquartered in New York City, Mancini has regional offices in Millburn and Red Bank, New Jersey, Phoenix, Arizona, Seattle, Washington, Tampa, West Palm Beach, Florida. Known for its forward-thinking approach and commitment to innovation, the firm integrates cutting-edge technology with design excellence to shape the built environment for the future.

SOURCE Mancini Duffy