A few years ago, Etsy co-founder Jared Tarbell and his wife Laurie, an architect and advocate for green building, moved back to Albuquerque from Austin with a vision for the city— make it a hub for innovation and sustainable buildings.
The Tarbells have wasted no time working on several projects to revitalize Albuquerque’s downtown. First, they took over former offices of the Albuquerque Journal and launched Levitated, a company that produces fabrication software and uses on-site 3D printers and laser cutters to make toys. The end goal of the Levitated is to sell the software that makes the objects so kids have an opportunity (that can be difficult to find for the new generation) to use their imaginations and design their own toys.
The Tarbells also took over a downtown landmark building to renovate it sustainably and improve office spaces home to mostly non-profit organizations. Laurie Tarbell hopes to continue this sustainable vision for the city by making Albuquerque a 2030 District. Led by the non-profit New Mexico organization Architecture 2030, the initiative has local leaders and businesses sign on to reduce emissions and energy use to chosen targets by 2030.
So far the community has shown strong support the Tarbells in their mission to revitalize Albuquerque with hundreds of people visiting the Levitated toy factory this fall.
Read more about the Tarbells’ vision for a greener city from City Lab.
