ULI Philadelphia’s 2021 Awards for Excellence finalists represent superior development projects in the greater Philadelphia region that embody the ULI mission of shaping the future of the built environment for transformative impact in communities worldwide.

Lindsey Scannapieco, Managing Partner, Scout, developer of Building Bok, joins us for “Five Minutes with a Finalist”. Here’s what she had to say:

Can you share your favorite story behind this project?

It is hard to name one story, but it has been continually inspiring watching this old building come back to life and be filled with such incredible people doing so many amazing things. The building is merely a platform for others – and it is the people that make the building unique and special. One of my favorite things about the building is the range of uses — from a community wellness clinic to a soccer field operator to glass blowers to a restaurant — and how people find one another and collaborate in unexpected ways. Our role as the developer is not to match-make or overly curate, instead we provide the space and flexibility for growth and exploration for everyone within Bok.

How have you had to respond or shift your project over the past year due to COVID-19?

We were extremely worried last March about how Bok would fare. Our building is primarily compromised of small businesses that lack savings or other resources to help them navigate through a storm. However, we pride ourselves on being a close and transparent community, and started a program where tenants could apply for deferment or relief as required. We were upfront about the capacity we had to support and asked people to be mindful of others needs when applying. This approach paid off — and we were able to support nearly every single tenant who applied for some level of support when needed. In turn, we had no non-payments, no evictions, and a very low turn over. Additionally we added nearly 60,000 sqft of leases over the last 12 months. Although many are working from home during COVID, our businesses often are unable to work remotely (e.g. ceramic artists, beauty product manufacturers, whole bakeries) and really valued having a safe space to come to throughout.We also found that many didn’t like working from home and have seen a huge increase in requests for small space as people seek a sanctuary away from their partner, their children, their pets, and their home to be able to focus on their work. We have signed our two largest leases to date in the last 12 months (approximately 15,000 sqft to Studio Incamminati, an accredited realist art school and 25,000 sqft to Upper 90 a soccer training and leisure facility). The pandemic has reminded us that people are human and we all crave safe, communal spaces to keep us energized and working.

What inspires you the most about Philadelphia and the region right now?

We truly love Philadelphia. We believe our grit, our resourcefulness, and our creativity as a city is what will drive us forward post-pandemic and we are extremely excited to see what the future holds. We are inspired by the activism and thoughtfulness of our peers and our community especially in the last year in pushing for a better future for all within our city. We need to see systematic barriers come down and allow our entire city to thrive.

Winners will be announced live at a virtual celebration on June 16. For more information and to register, click here.