Borowy Family Children’s Critical Care Tower
By Meredith T. Matthews
Photography by Michael LeGrand and Chad Baumer
“The future is here.” This was the statement by Michael D. Aubin, president of Wolfson Children’s Hospital and chief philanthropy officer of the Baptist Health Foundation, when, after years of anticipation, the new Borowy Family Children’s Critical Care Tower officially opened in April 2022. The Borowy Tower serves two main functions for Wolfson Children’s Hospital and Baptist Medical Center Jacksonville—the building houses state-of-the-art technology to care for critically ill and injured babies and children, and serves as the new entry to the campus.
“This is more than just a front door to our campuses. It is a gateway to hope and healing,” says Nicole Thomas, president of Baptist Jacksonville. “People from across the Southeast and far beyond seek the compassionate care delivered by our team of world-class experts. With the opening of this building, we are one step closer to achieving our vision of a lifetime of health, together.”
The new Borowy Tower is modern, open, and accessible. The real show, however, starts at sunset, when the visual art experience, “Reflections of Hope,” is projected on the façade. Local content production company, the Castano Group, created this piece through projection mapping, artistically blending three-dimensional animation with live-action video of children and their families.
“Every aspect of the new Borowy Family Children’s Critical Care Tower, including the building’s exterior, was designed to create a healing environment for children,” says Aubin. “The name of this display captures exactly what it does: reflects the happiness and comfort our team strives to create every day for the children and families we serve. We hope this display allows patients, families, and passersby to see health care in a welcoming light.”
Outside the Borowy Tower’s entrance is a special installation designed as a “Guiding Star,” symbolizing hope and light. Visitors can enter the Borowy Tower at ground level or by way of the skybridge from the second level of the adjacent parking garage. The first two floors serve as the main lobbies and entryway to Baptist Jacksonville Wolfson Children’s Hospital, and in keeping with Baptist Jacksonville Wolfson Children’s Hospital philosophy of using art to help create a healing environment, the lobby areas are airy, bright, and full of carefully curated artwork. CC Brooks, vice president of Patient Care Services at Wolfson Children’s Hospital, points to Soo Sunny Park’s light-reflecting sculpture as a major highlight of the new entry. “Boundless Reflection” is suspended from the lobby ceiling nearest to the skybridge, and constantly changes as its nearly 7,000 acrylic tiles respond to the environment’s shifting light and the viewer’s shifting perspective.
Moving upward into the Borowy Tower’s five floors dedicated to children’s intensive care, the art—in the form of biome murals, photographs, sculptures, and mixed media pieces—adheres to each floor’s theme. The seven floor-by-floor biome themes reflect the natural environment—such as the river, ocean, grasslands, etc.—that are featured throughout Wolfson Children’s Hospital, on pediatric floors in the J. Wayne and Delores Barr Weaver Tower, and in the six Wolfson Children’s Emergency Centers. “The continuity of these themes provides a feel that is uniquely Wolfson Children’s,” says Brooks.
