
Christian Giordano, Mancini•Duffy
What was your most notable project, deal, transaction or professional achievement in 2015?
2015 has been a significant year for Mancini Duffy. Our firm just celebrated 100 years and we’re proud to say that a few of our clients, such as KPMG, have been with us for nearly 50 of those. I’m also excited about our growing portfolio with sports and media clients, which now includes work for the Brooklyn Nets, the National Basketball Players Association, the New York Mets, NBCUniversal, Under Armour, and Peloton.
What real estate project, transaction, market trend or product had a significant impact on your industry in 2015?
Hospitality is still trending up in New York City. We’ve seen an influx of hotel projects in our office, particularly boutiques, which has opened up a new market sector for Mancini Duffy.
How will you be supercharging your productivity in 2016?
With the improvement of building materials, drafting software and visualization tools, technology has always pushed designers to be more productive. Today the most important part of technology is the information it provides. We are able to use technology to understand what we design far better than we ever have before, resulting in not just more productive architects but more productive architecture.
What emerging trends will drive investment and development in 2016?
We’ve seen technology – more specifically virtual reality – emerge as a key tool for developers and brokers to leverage in drawing tenants. Using the Oculus Rift, for example, prospective tenants can experience the full potential of their space early on in the process. Virtual reality also brings collaboration during design to a different level.