New York – September 11, 2026 -- Mancini, a 110-year-old national architecture and design firm, has landed at No. 69 on Fast Company's 2026 list of the 100 Best Workplaces for Innovators, joining honorees such as Google, Chipotle, Morgan Stanley and GE.
Mancini built two proprietary technology platforms without a dedicated software division
The firm developed MIKA, the Mancini Information and Knowledge Assistant, an internal AI platform connecting knowledge and workflows firmwide, after architects and designers with no formal software backgrounds taught themselves to build enterprise-grade tools. It also created and patented The Toolbelt, a suite of virtual and augmented reality technologies letting project teams and clients modify designs in real time.
Client design sessions now shift decision-making earlier in project timelines
Through Mancini's 360 Design Sessions, clients use The Toolbelt to test spatial options and make choices that feed directly into the project model, a process the firm says accelerates approvals and cuts costly revisions later in construction.
An internal incubator, the Design Lab, converts staff-driven ideas into firm-wide tools
"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. He said leadership's role is to provide time and resources, remove bureaucratic obstacles, and let employees carry ideas into practical solutions.
The recognition follows a broader run of industry rankings for the firm
Mancini also ranked No. 52 on Interior Design's 2026 Top 100 Giants list and No. 25 on its 2026 Hospitality Giants list, climbing 21 positions from No. 46 in 2025.