Volcanos are one of the most powerful and devastating natural events on the planet. They are often seen as a major threat to people and wildlife in the area, and they also emit large amounts of greenhouse gasses when they erupt, which can be quite dangerous.

What would you say if someone suggested that volcanos be used to build cities?

That is exactly what Arnhidur Palmadottir, the owner of s.ap architects in Reykjavik, Island is proposing. To be clear, there are no plans in place, but this is just an idea that is being evaluated.

Iceland has a lot of volcanos because it is located above the area where the North American and Eurasian tectonic plates meet. This is why they have such an abundance of geothermal energy, which is used to create the majority of electricity in the country. So, with so much success in this area, why not use the lava from volcanos as building materials?

Plamadottir talked to IFLScience about her bold idea, saying:

“In our story, placed in 2150, we have harnessed the lava flow, just as we did with geothermal energy 200 years earlier in Iceland.”

She went on to explain:

“A lava flow can contain enough building material for the foundations of an entire city to rise in a matter of weeks without harmful mining and non-renewable energy generation. Lavaforming is exploring a building material that has never been used before. 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. In our current predicament we need to be bold, think in new ways, look at challenges, and find the right resources.”

Of course, directing lava from an eruption into molds to create the foundation of cities would be challenging. Also, it is generally not considered a good idea to build a city directly over an active volcano. Even if most volcanos in Iceland erupt in a slower event that pushes magma out of the Earth over the course of days, or even months, the country does have a history of large-scale eruptions.

Even a modestly explosive eruption could devastate a city build over its epicenter.

Of course, it could be possible to set up molds near an area where lava is expected, then once the magma hardens in place, come in and harvest it for use in other parts of the country.

While this is not a project that is likely to become a reality anytime in the near future, it is a great example of how to think outside of the box to find sustainable building strategies for the future.

To see how this type of thing might work in the future, check out this interesting video:

This is a bold design choice.

If you think that’s impressive, check out this story about a “goldmine” of lithium that was found in the U.S. that could completely change the EV battery game.