Architectural collections as historical spaces of education

ABSTRACT In recent years, historiographical works on architectural and planning sources or archives, as well as institutional or private initiatives aimed at preservation issues, have helped to consolidate a collective agenda around the historical value of these collections in Brazil. Debates revolve around their role within cultural, academic, and professional institutions, and their relevance to education, memory, and practice in architecture and urbanism. This article aims to speculate about the roles, agencies, powers, and limits of architectural collections in contemporary teaching and research practices. To this end, it first presents an outlook of architectural collections in Brazil and their relations with different academic institutions. Then, the text will comment on recent pedagogical uses of architectural and planning collections, highlighting some teaching experiences in both the national and international context. Finally, it discusses the importance of specialized collections to research in the field of architecture and urban planning, as well as their contemporary meanings, possibilities, and dilemmas. This study is expected to contribute to the definition of strategies on the constitution, preservation, and use of architectural and planning collections within academic institutions in Brazil.