Abstract. To cope with the growing complexity of embedded system design, several development approaches have been proposed. The most popular are those using models as main artifacts to be constructed and maintained. The wanted role of models is to ease, systematize and standardize the approach of the construction of software-based systems. In order to enforce reuse and to interconnect the process of models' specification and the system development with models, we promote a model-based approach coupled with a repository of models. In this paper, we propose a Model-Driven Engineering methodological approach for the development of a repository of models and an operational architecture for development tools. In particular, we show the feasibility of our own approach by reporting some preliminary prototype providing a model-based repository of security and dependability (S&D) pattern models.