A 2014 volcanic eruption in Iceland (Gisli Baldursson/Dreamstime)Iceland’s pavilion at next year’s Venice Bienniale is to showcase a “Lavaforming” exhibit. This will be designed by Arnhildur Pálmadóttir of S.AP architects, and will demonstrate how controlled lava flows can create sustainable buildings.
The exhibition will highlight the Grenjaðarstaður turf house (pictured below), a 19th-century vicarage that is primarily insulated with lava.
The project is inspired by Iceland’s location on a rift between two tectonic plates. These are moving apart and the gap between is constantly being filled by molten rock.
The Grenjaðarstaður turf house which uses lava rocks as insulation (The National Museum of Iceland)Pálmadóttir commented: “In our story, placed in 2150, we have harnessed the lava flow, just as we did with geothermal energy 200 years earlier in Iceland.
“The main goal of Lavaforming is to show that architecture can be the force that rethinks and shapes a new future with sustainability, innovation and creative thinking. The theme is both a proposal and a metaphor – architecture is in a paradigm shift, and many of our current methods have been deemed obsolete or harmful in the long term.”
The biennale will run from the 10 May to 23 November.