This event symbolizes an important stage in the existence of this public organization: simultaneously with the opening of the galleries, the Chaillot School accepted new students, and the holding of symposia and conferences in the Auditorium was resumed.
The Center for Architecture and Heritage (Cité de l'architecture et du patrimoine) as a public institution consists of three parts:
- French Institute of Architecture (L'Ifa). It conducts research in the field of modern architecture, urban planning and landscape design, and also houses a specialized library and archive.
- Museum of French Monuments (MMF). It includes three galleries: a hall of casts of architectural details of the most important buildings of the 12th - 18th centuries, most of which were collected by Viollet-le-Duc, a hall of monumental painting with copies of medieval and Renaissance frescoes, and a gallery of modern architecture (1851-2001).)
- School of Shaillot. It teaches state advanced training courses for specialists in the field of restoration and preservation of architectural monuments and landscape design, and also conducts educational programs for the general public.
Thus, the Center is engaged in the popularization of both modern architecture and heritage, training qualified specialists in the field of preservation of architectural monuments, and also provides researchers with the necessary information in the field of architecture through an extensive library and archive.
The designs for the new halls that were arranged for this institute in the Palais de Chaillot were the work of the architect Jean-François Bodin. He managed, while maintaining the authenticity of the interiors, to change their functions, harmonizing them with the needs of the Center.
Three new exhibitions have opened in the new halls. Curators of the exposition “Before - after. Architecture with the passage of time show visitors short films, where views of the construction sites of 150 new buildings are mounted: before the start of work, in the process and after the end of construction. The way the construction site itself and the area around it changed during the period captured by a video camera should show how architecture changes the world around us.
The second exhibition is dedicated to the work of the Pritzker Prize laureate Christian de Portzamparc, his work is presented there in the form of large models and videos.
The third exhibition, Generation Europan, covers 20 years of this European award for young architects. For its eight editions, 40,000 people took part in this competition.
