Jordan Boudreau
he/theySanta Cruz, CA
Portfolio of Highlighted Work
Stanford Doerr School of Sustainability
Palo Alto, CA — 2022-2023, GehlAs a designer at Gehl—a people-centric urban design and planning firm—I was part of the four person team who drafted the design principles and internal master plan for the new Stanford Doerr School of Sustainability. As Stanford’s first new school in over 70 years, the founding of this School provides the campus with a unique opportunity to shape a major area of its campus from the ground up.
Below, I have highlighted the parts of this work that I was personally charged with.
Belonging StudyUsing a proprietary app developed by a colleage at Gehl, I conducted a study that invited Stanford students and staff to photograph spaces on campus that make them feel either a sense of belonging or exclusion. Photos were geotagged, rated as positive or negative by participants, and participants were asked to tag what factors contributed to that feeling (nature, architecture, people, comfort, etc.). This allowed us to see not only where students and staff felt a sense of belonging on campus, but also to see what factors contribute to their sense of belonging; and whether that differed across demographic groups.
I culminated this analysis with by highlighting trends in the data, which were then used to help shape the design principles we recommended to Stanford. A few findings are included below (click to zoom in).
Design PrinciplesOur team presented over 60 design principles to guide Studio Gang and the Campus Architect in the design of the School. I contributed many of these principles, specifically ones that addressed the relationship between indoors and outdoors and prioritizing a sense of connection with nature. Three of these principles are shown below (click to zoom in).
Massing, Land Use, and Circulation DiagamsI was in charge of creating massing, land use, and circulation diagrams used in our final planing recommendations. A selection of these diagrams are included below, including one that was used by Stanford and Studio Gang to announce Studio Gang’s involvement in the project.
Mayo Clinic: Peace Plaza Pedestrian Use Analysis
Rochester, MN — 2022, GehlAs a Designer at Gehl, I also collaborated with a colleague to conduct this Public Space Public Life (PSPL) study for Peace Plaza, a public plaza in Rochester, Minnesota owned and managed by the Mayo Clinic. PSPLs are a proprietary Gehl survey method developed by Danish planner Jan Gehl, which employs a extensive transect counts and stationary counts over time to evaluate the “health” of a public space to help inform planning decisions. In this study, we found a high correlation between facade quality and the “stickiness” of various parts of the plaza (the ratio of people passing through a space who choose to stay there).
UCSC Seymour Marine Discovery Center
Santa Cruz, CA — 2023-2024, UCSCIn my work at the Seymour Marine Discovery Center, UC Santa Cruz’s aquarium, I led a team of volunteers, staff, and interns designing and fabricating the first full overhaul of the Center’s exhibits in 20 years. All new content for the space is bilingual in English in Spanish, wheelchair accessible, and connected to stories of local climate solutions in Santa Cruz and the Central Coast.
Working within a tight UC budget, I designed all graphics, exhibition labels, and wayfinding myself, and personally built all exhibition furniture. This included a new wheelchair-accessible reception desk and exhibition tables, an indoor terrarium (including drainage and grow lights), and 6 upholstered benches—all without using any plastic materials.
Public space and wheelchair-accessible reception desk
Bilingual Signage
Maps / Wayfinding
Cafe One
Fort Bragg, CA — 2021-Present, freelanceI am serving as the lead architectural designer on a 3,500 sq. ft. new building and half-acre garden for an organic cafe and diner in Fort Bragg, CA. I lead both the architectural and landscape design, while working with an architect of record, consultants, engineers, and local agencies to ensure compliance and acquire permits.
Renderings
Construction/Permit Drawings
New Haven Botanical Garden of Healing Dedicated to Victims of Gun Violence
New Haven, CT — 2019As a City Parks Project Manager with the Urban Resouces Initiative (URI), I helped with planning, design, research, and volunteer planting workdays for the Botanical Garden of Healing Dedicated to Victims of Gun Violence—URI’s largest project to date. Led by a group of moms who had lost their children to guns, this park memorializes the names of all victims of gun violence in New Haven over the previous 40 years. Situated near the base of West Rock Ridge State Park, the park makes use of stunning views of West Rock along its major corridor and memorial pathway. However, located along a busy road, the planning of the site required a sensitivity to landscape design to protect the park from traffic noise while ensuring pedestrian safety.
New Haven Greening
New Haven, CT — 2018As a final project, I proposed linking the central New Haven Green to nearby Wooster Square Park as a case study diving into this issue. By leveraging an existing two blocks of pedestrian-only roads along this corridor, converting two additional blocks and one bridge over railway tracks to also be pedestrian-only could make it possible for pedestrians to have a safe and pleasant walk between two iconic public parks and neighborhoods. This pattern of pedestrianization and greening could hopefully grow to connect even more parks and neighborhoods together over time.
BIO
As a planner and designer with a passion for environmental education, I specialize in shaping places that foster conviviality, environmental literacy, social justice, and a love of the natural world.
CONTACT
jordanboudreau@me.com
1 603 560 9422