Iceland Unveils Lavaforming, a Vision for Architecture Built from the Earth’s Fire at the 19th International Architecture Exhibition – La Biennale di Venezia

Today, Iceland Design and Architecture inaugurated the Icelandic Pavilion at the 19th International Architecture Exhibition—La Biennale di Venezia, by unveiling Lavaforming, a bold exploration of a future where urban infrastructure emerges from molten earth.

The exhibition is curated by architect Arnhildur Pálmadóttir and developed with her team at s.ap architects, which includes Arnar Skarphéðinsson, architect and co-creator of Lavaforming; Björg Skarphéðinsdóttir, designer; and Sukanya Mukherjee, architect, along with the author Andri Snær Magnason, who shaped the core narrative, and the musician and multimedia developer Jack Armitage. Lavaforming presents a speculative future where controlled lava flows build cities. The Pavilion’s exhibition also shares tangible experiments to demonstrate the enormous potential of this renewable material that has traditionally been viewed as a threat.

Winner of the 2024 Nordic Council Environment Prize, curator Arnhildur Pálmadóttir brings years of architectural and environmental research to the project. “Architecture must evolve beyond extraction,” said Pálmadóttir. “Lavaforming is a blueprint for architecture that works with planetary processes, not against them. It proposes a future that’s technically possible and creatively powerful.”

“Creative visionaries—architects, designers, and artists—are essential partners as we confront the environmental challenges wrought by climate change,” said Logi Einarsson, Iceland’s Minister of Culture, Innovation and Higher Education, during the Pavilion’s opening. “What makes Lavaforming so compelling is that it doesn’t just imagine a greener future—it actively tests how we might build it. This project is a clear example of how Iceland’s creative sector is shaping bold, practical responses to the climate crisis—rooted in place, informed by science, and driven by imagination.”

A Three-Part Journey Through Lavaforming
The Icelandic Pavilion invites visitors into a three-room exhibition, each offering a different perspective on the Lavaforming vision, which at its core asks a provocative question: What if structures emerged straight from the earth's crust, and what do they look like? These buildings of the future are created from materials that are available, transformed by the energy and resources found in their immediate environment. Lavaforming is a story of a future society that has managed to harness lava flow and found ways to use it as a building material.

Room One: Data and Discovery
In the first space, visitors begin their journey looking at a wall of screens that shows the research, design work, and material testing conducted by s.ap architects parallel to the design and creation of the story about a future city. Visitors can explore data visualizations and process documentation that offer insights into future technologies, lavaflow simulations done in collaboration with musician/designer/technologist Jack Armitage, and information about the future of Icelandic climate and seismic activity. The screens will also visualise the team’s experiments on lava, where they have melted, molded, and cooled the material in controlled conditions.

“Our goal was to go beyond theory and prove that lava can be a mono-material,” said Arnhildur Pálmadóttir. “Through these tests, we are mapping a future where architecture relies on what is already abundant and sustainable.”

Room Two: A Speculative Animated Short Film
In the second room, guests are invited to the world of Lavaforming through a short, animated film, created by s.ap architects in collaboration with Andri Snær Magnason and Jack Armitage. The film imagines a city named Eldborg built entirely from lava in the year 2150, showing glimpses of a future where lava is processed into a building material. Narrated by six characters who inhabit this city, their reflections inform the viewer about the magnitude and political implications of this new building method.

“Animation is a powerful medium for representing architecture,’’ said Arnar Skarphéðinsson, co-creator of the project. “Through the narrative, the viewer is immersed in the world we are designing, and will feel a more personal stake in the ideas we are presenting.’’ 

Room Three: The Story Made Real
The final room tells the stories of the people of the city of Eldborg, and reflects on the developments that took place during their lifetimes—advancements in technology and science, shifts in culture, and changes in the climate. Also in the room are a series of "future ruins" – small-scale physical prototypes made from remelted lava. These sculptures are combinations of older basalt rocks and basalt fiber rebars that suggest the beginnings of an infrastructure resilient to the climate, and rooted in its place of origin.

“There’s a poetic power in transforming something traditionally seen as destructive into something constructive,” said Arnhildur and Arnar. “Our goal with this pavilion is to encourage people to think differently about building materials, not just lava. We believe that this material could be a conduit for change, but the main question is always, who has ownership over the lava? We believe the answer to this will inform us if the project will be used towards an inspiring future, or a future that resembles our present.’’

This is the first time Iceland has participated in the International Architecture Exhibition of La Biennale di Venezia with an open call. The Icelandic Pavilion is commissioned by Iceland Design and Architecture, which facilitates and promotes design of all kinds as a vital aspect of the future Icelandic society, economy, and culture, with the support of the Ministry of Culture and Business Affairs in Iceland.

Additional details about this project are available on the Iceland Pavilion’s website and in the Lavaforming press kit.

Project Credits for Lavaforming
Commissioner: Halla Helgadóttir, Iceland Design and Architecture
Curator: Arnhildur Pálmadóttir
Exhibitor: s.ap architects — Arnhildur Pálmadóttir, Arnar Skarphéðinsson, Björg Skarphéðinsdóttir, Sukanya Mukherjee; Andri Snær Magnason, Jack Armitage

Venue
2125 Ramo de la Tana, Venice (Near the main entrance of the Arsenale)

Press Contacts
icelandicpavilion@honnunarmidstod.is 

Polskin Arts, a division of Finn Partners
Meagan Jones, meagan.jones@finnpartners.com