Ross Karsen

Adjunct Lecturer in Architecture

Ross recently became the Director of Studio Operations at studioWTA in New Orleans. In this role he works with the studio at large to bring unity to the methods of working across the studio. He also leads projects from mid-size commercial building to single family residential scales. With the vast majority of his portfolio over the past 17 years being in New Orleans, the focus of the design is often about finding new expressions and considerations of building science as a response to both climate and culture. He holds a bachelor’s in philosophy, reflective of his need or clearly defensible purposes and strategies in architectural proposals.

Before joining studioWTA, Ross worked at multiple firms throughout the New Orleans area. He also spent time from 2008-09 forming Thalweg Studio along with several of colleagues from the Tulane School of Architecture. In addition to entering and winning several architectural competitions, the firm designed a new residence in suburban New Orleans, a rooftop garden, and much of the graphic work for Prospect 1—the first in a series of international art biennials.

In 2013 he built a house in the Bywater neighborhood, often cited as an exemplar of a more modern design sympathetic to its small-scale historical neighborhood.

Apart from studioWTA, Ross has been involved with his neighborhood association in considering the zoning regulations as it pertains to the neighborhood at large, as well as reviewing specific projects.