Attention has long been drawn to the dispersion and destruction of architectural and urban documentary collections. The idea of systematically preserving architectural drawings and projects is “recent”. The value of the drawings and models themselves, separated from the mere usefulness for the realization of the work, had its golden moment in the times of nineteenth-century historicism. It is in the 19th century, following the birth of Art History as a scientific discipline and the subsequent development of restoration theories, when architectural funds began to acquire a prominent role, not only as an isolated element of aesthetic evaluation, but also as an essential instrument of consultation.

A reference example to take into account in this type of actions can be found in the current Cité de l'Architecture et du Patrimoin de Paris, inaugurated in 2007, in one of the wings of the Chaillot Palace, in the Place du Trocadero. , whose career has been an example at the international level. The French project is based on three fundamental elements or supports:

- An emblematic building. The Chaillot Palace in the Trocadero.

- A restorative tradition unique in its kind. Museum of reproductions of French monuments.

- An exemplary work in the preservation of the most recent architectural heritage. The successful management carried out by the French Institute of Architecture (IFA) with the Architecture Archives of the 19th and 20th centuries.

 The location of the Cité de l'Architecture et du Patrimoin, in one of the wings of the Chaillot Palace, is privileged and suggestive, showing itself as a large balcony, not only to the Seine River that separates it from the Eiffel Tower, but also to the world. of architecture in its most diverse aspects. This privileged place, which has been the subject of multiple architectural projects, has a great urban presence, occupying a prominent site in the French capital. The palace consists of two pavilions in classicist style, with two 195 m wings. that descend towards the river, separated by an esplanade that overlooks the Trocadero gardens. With a total area of 55,000 m2, the building houses different museums (The Museum of the Navy, The Museum of Man) and the National Theater of Chaillot, highlighting in its east wing of the Palace, the City of Architecture and Heritage.

Mariano J. RUIZ DE AEL