And the winners are…

This year marked the seventh celebration of the Awards for Excellence, and for the first time ever jurors felt compelled to distinguish two projects for their visionary leadership. Those winners include:

Bok Building (Philadelphia, PA) received the Vision Award for Transformative Development, and for excellence in adaptive reuse, mix of uses and catalytic economic development. A former vocational high school in South Philadelphia providing affordable workspaces for over 200 businesses and non-profit organizations, incorporating a variety of neighborhood amenities, including a wellness center, dog park, rooftop bar and coffee shop. Developed and submitted by scout.

PHL Rent Assist (Philadelphia, PA) received the Vision Award for Transformative Public Policy and for excellence in for excellence in public policy, community impact and overall scale and execution. An emergency rental assistance program to help landlords and tenants during COVID-19, which has distributed $64.2M in emergency rental assistance and included launching an Eviction Diversion Program that ensured access to a housing counselor and a pre-filing mediation. Developed and submitted by Philadelphia Housing Development Corporation.

Additional winners, demonstrating the highest degree of excellence, include:

Crest Manor (Willow Grove, PA) for excellence in financial creativity, affordability and design. An affordable housing community, located in a mixed income neighborhood with accessible public transportation and high performing school district, this project serves tenants at or below 60% of area median income. Developed and submitted by Montgomery County Housing Authority and Pennrose.

Huntingdon Mills (Philadelphia, PA) for excellence in civic engagement, sustainability and real estate innovation. Located in the Fishtown neighborhood, a unique, civic-focused, and mission-driven development that restored the former Franklin Carpet Mills complex into an active, vibrant mixed-use residential and commercial community developed specifically for individuals and organizations in the Health and Human Services sector. Developed and submitted by D3 Development.

Powel Elementary – Science Leadership Academy Middle School (Philadelphia, PA) for excellence in public private partnerships, education development and community engagement. A unique public and private partnership between Drexel University and the School District of Philadelphia that combines an existing K-4 school (Powel) with a recently created middle school (Science Leadership Academy) into one combined facility in West Philadelphia. Developed and submitted by Drexel University and Wexford Science + Technology.

The Discovery Center (Philadelphia, PA) for excellence in sustainable and accessible design, community partnerships and contribution to the public realm. An urban bird sanctuary and leadership development center that restores access to the East Park Reservoir, this project offers programming aimed at connecting city residents with nature and serves as a valuable educational and recreational resource to the neighboring Strawberry Mansion community. Developed by East Park Leadership and Conservation Center (Philadelphia Outward Bound School & Audubon Philadelphia), submitted by DIGSAU.

Additional information about all the finalists can be found here, and information about the national jury can be found here.