Lavaforming would see controlled lava eruptions being used to create buildings, which according to the designer Arnhildur Palmadottir would be substantially more sustainable than those built with steel and concrete. The proposal envisions boreholes being drilled into the earth to reach molten lava, which can then be directed into controlled flows. Palmadottir proposes three ways that the lava could be used to make buildings. Firstly it could be directed into chambers to cool into required forms that could be used as a traditional building material. Secondly, it could be directed in a molten state to be 3D printed. And finally, it could be directed into parallel trenches where it would cool in situ and be used as the structural basis for a city.

The Lavaforming concept was developed by Palmadottir in response to the growing awareness over the carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions connected to construction and in particular concrete. Palmadottir developed the proposal to demonstrate that construction requires radical change to become more sustainable.

Lavaforming was exhibited at the Ásmundarsalur art gallery in Reykjavík during the 2022 edition of DesignMarch by Palmadottir, who is the founder of architecture practice SAP. "Lavaforming is the architecture of a technologically advanced society that has abandoned profit maximisation and is, therefore, free to explore solutions to the building material crisis of the world," says Palmadottir to Dezeen.