To many students of architectural history and design, the name Illinois Institute of Technology (IIT) is synonymous with modernism. Architecturally, the main campus of IIT is most well known as an unequaled example of the work of one of Modern architecture's most important figures, Ludwig Mies van der Rohe. Mies served as the Chairman of IIT's Department of Architecture from 1938 to 1958, during which time he designed the school's master plan and oversaw the realization of 20 of his buildings. However, also notable among the architectural landmarks of the campus is the Main Building, designed and built as the first building for the school that would later become Illinois Institute of Technology.

More on the IIT Main Building
 

The use of Industrial Rope Access (IRA) in North America is still in its infancy; slowly, regulatory agencies are realizing the importance of understanding and addressing the topic.

Several standards-setting organizations have incorporated IRA into either new or existing rules. Vertical Access has applied for membership on the American National Standards Institue (ANSI) Z359 Committee for Fall Protection/Arrest and Kent Diebolt will attend his first meeting in April in Chicago and will participate in the subgroup on rope access.

The American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM) recently published ASTM E2505-07 Standard Practice for Industrial Rope Access, a comprehensive standard covering terminology, training, certification and equipment.

Finally, the Chicago Department of Buidlings has accepted IRA as a viable means of completing facade inspections as part of their recently-revised facade inspection ordinance.

See the full City of Chicago Ordinance Amendment
 

APT's 40th Anniversary Conference will be Monday, October 13 through Friday, October 17, 2008 in Montréal, Québec, Canada. Interdisciplinary Collaboration in Heritage Conservation, the theme of the APT Montréal 2008 Conference, celebrates not only the membership profile of APT but the increasingly interdisciplinary nature of heritage conservation (generally referred to as historic preservation in the US) approaches over the last four decades.

APTI Conference Information
 

In December 2007, Keith Luscinski traveled to Idaho and Mexico on a month long road trip. After snowboarding for 5 days in Sun Valley, Idaho, he made the 30 hour journey south to El Potrero Chico, a climbing hotspot in Nuevo Leon, Mexico. El Potrero Chico, the "The Little Corral," is best known for limestone sport routes reaching upwards of 2000 feet. Keith tackled the famous "Time Wave Zero," (5.11a, A0) a 23 pitch route. After 2300 feet and eight hours of climbing, Keith and his climbing partner reached the summit. Keith describes the experience as, "unforgettable," especially after rappelling for 5 hours with no water in the Mexico sun.

See more photos from Keith's trip.
 

Eloise Faye Streeter was born to Kelly, Derek, Liv and Silas on March 31st. She's thankfully very calm and Liv and Silas adore her (so far).