Archives and Museums of Architecture for Historical Research and Heritage Protection
Abstract
This paper analyses the role of architectural archives and museums as essential tools for historical research, the preservation of design memory, and the protection of the built heritage. Starting from the definition of the architectural archive, it reconstructs several key moments in the Italian and European debate, from the 1993 conference Gli archivi per la storia dell’architettura to the foundation of AAA-Italia in 1999. The archive is examined in its documentary and material complexity — drawings, models, photographs, technical reports, correspondence, books, and material samples — and in relation to the specific practices required for its conservation and valorisation. Alongside archives, the architectural museum emerges as an institution capable of linking historical memory, critical interpretation of the present, and public education. Archives and museums are therefore understood as centres of relation, research, and debate, crucial for promoting a still fragile culture of modern and contemporary architecture.
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