Expanding Specialized Pediatric Care
Wolfson’s Children’s Hospital Critical Care and Baptist Arrival Tower | Jacksonville, FL
A repeat client, Baptist Medical Center selected DPR to deliver the new Wolfson Children’s Hospital Borowy Family Children's Critical Care Tower, a seven-story, 220,000-square-foot expansion that serves as the new front entrance to the downtown Jacksonville campus. The tower strengthens the presence of Wolfson Children's Hospital while enhancing wayfinding and connectivity by linking the children's hospital, Baptist Medical Center Jacksonville, the adjacent parking garage via an 85-foot skybridge and three existing campus facilities.
Partners
State-of-the-Art Environments
Designed to expand specialized pediatric care throughout the region, the tower features a 72-bed Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) and a 26-bed Pediatric Intensive Care Unit (PICU), providing state-of-the-art environments that support exceptional clinical care while prioritizing the patient and family experience.
This space helps care for more critically ill and injured children in the region, with specialized units that include:
- A Neonatal Intensive Care Center (NICU), with three dedicated units across three floors for newborns who need extra support
- A Pediatric Intensive Care Unit (PICU), including a Neuro-Intensive Care Unit for children with complex brain and nervous system conditions
- A Cardiovascular Intensive Care Unit (CVICU) for children with serious heart conditions
Families can spend a lot of time in an intensive care unit with their child, so comfort is important. The NICU includes private patient and family suites equipped with full bathrooms, showers, parent wardrobes, overnight accommodations for two caregivers, abundant natural light and integrated technology such as Philips Predictive Analytics and bedside parent monitors connected to the hospital's GetWell Network.
Throughout the tower, thoughtfully designed family spaces—including food preparation and dining areas within the family waiting lounges—provide welcoming places for families to gather, recharge and remain close to their loved ones. Additional dining amenities, including the campus cafeteria, patient and team dining areas and the Starbucks café constructed by DPR during the adjacent Baptist Jacksonville adult tower expansion in 2019, are located just a short walk away.
Complex Campus Integration
The project included complex integration with three adjacent active campus facilities and significant upgrades to the central energy plant, including the addition of an 1,800-ton chiller and cooling tower, a 1,500-kW, 13.2-kV emergency generator and supporting infrastructure required to serve the growing campus.
DPR leveraged 3D modeling to evaluate existing conditions including underground utilities and coordinated closely with project stakeholders throughout design and construction.
Using an IPD-lite delivery approach, the team organized into functional cluster groups to align budgets, proactively manage risk and drive collaborative decision-making. This integrated planning effort enabled seamless structural integration with the existing campus.
Innovative Solutions
Prefabrication played a significant role in the successful delivery of the project, with multiple building components—including the elevated pedestrian bridge connecting the existing parking garage to the new Critical Care Tower, exterior wall systems, patient headwalls, and above-ceiling mechanical, electrical, and plumbing (MEP) racks—constructed off-site. This approach enhanced safety, improved quality, accelerated the schedule, and enabled the efficient installation of highly complex architectural and building systems. The extensive use of prefabricated assemblies also streamlined inspections, earning acceptance from the Authorities Having Jurisdiction (AHJs) and the Florida Agency for Health Care Administration (AHCA), while providing greater predictability throughout the construction process.
The right environment can help the healing process and create better outcomes for kids. That's why we created mockup rooms before even starting construction to ensure the design of the space was just right.
Mock-ups began in a conceptual / virtual format and evolved into fully operation clinical spaces including, but not limited to, NICU rooms, PICU rooms, nurse substations and corridors. The full clinical staff was engaged through out the process and provided feedback through surveys, design charettes, tours and full clinical scenarios. In total, five fully fit out mock-up iterations were constructed to ensure patient care and clinical needs are met in any potential scenario. Doctors, nurses, hospital staff and parents gave their input on what worked and what didn't, resulting in a setting that is better for families, better for staff and better for children.
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