Courtesy OMA

Some argue that architecture should be designed as sculptural object first, others argue that architecture should be designed for performance first. Considering the Quake: Seismic Design on the Edge, coming this September to Toronto's Design Exchange, highlights the buildings that do both, but of particular challenge to architects in checking both boxes is when designing in seismic zones. Buildings on exhibit that fit that small niche include Office for Metropolitan Architect's CCTV Tower in Beijing, Daniel Libeskind's Contemporary Jewish Museum in San Francisco, Studio SKLIM's earthquake-proof house in Japan, Arup's Watercube in Beijing, Pezo von Ellrichshausen's house in Chile, andthe World Trade Center 3 building, with seismic work done by Cast Connex. What these buildings also highlight is the necessary partnership between architect and engineer. "Considering the Quake," curated by Montreal's McGill University professors Effie Bouras and Ghyslaine McClure, features full-scale seismic technology, building models, renderings, and the as-yet-unreleased documentary "REM" by Tomas Koolhaas. Through Nov. 9. •

CCTV 2012 LOW RESOLUTION ROUGH CUT from tomas koolhaas on Vimeo.