Karsten Schlesier

Karsten Schlesier is a Visiting Professor of Structural Design in the Architecture programme at HafenCity University Hamburg (HCU). He studied Civil Engineering at the Technical University of Munich (TUM) and the University of Karlsruhe (KIT), and has held academic positions across Ethiopia, Oman, Singapore, and Germany.

• Education: Diplom in Civil Engineering from KIT, Vordiplom from TUM; certified building energy consultant (2013).

His research focuses on the intersection of architectural design and structural feasibility, emphasizing resource-efficient and lightweight load-bearing systems. He has taught TWE (Tragwerksentwurf) modules at HCU, covering static systems, hierarchical composition of structures, and advanced building methods. Notably, he co-led the interdisciplinary Rethinking Lightweight Pavilion project with architecture and civil engineering students.

Previous roles include Associate Professor at the German University of Technology in Oman (GUtech), Visiting Professor at Addis Ababa University (AAU), and research associate at KIT and ETH Zurich's Future Cities Laboratory (FCL). His work has contributed to university design-build projects, such as the award-winning Mehr.WERT.Pavilion at the 2019 Bundesgartenschau in Heilbronn.