Line Studio is a joint venture between Marina Stankovic Architekten BDA (Berlin) and Jim Saywell (Hong Kong). The two offices pooled resources with the aim of providing a full range of architectural services. The practice is committed to achieving design excellence, leadership and cost control on each client project. The firm has provided services internationally for the private, developer, professional/corporate, non-profit and public sectors. Services have ranged from interior renovations to large-scale public projects and urban design and planning studies.

Line Studio believes in an integrative and participatory planning process, where elements such as contextuality, neighborhood, spatial relationships and aesthetics, as well as material and structural technology and environmental sustainability are vitally important.

Line Studio engages the entire project team – comprising client, architect, engineers, construction managers and others – in a creative search for solutions that achieve project goals, satisfy economic requirements and make the most of technical possibilities. Throughout the process, the primary aim is to create value, a sense of identity, and sustainable solutions.

Line Studio was established in Shanghai, P.R. China, in 2008.

Marina Stankovic
Nationality: Canadian
since 1986 in Berlin
1978-1983 University of Toronto, School of Architecture, Canada
1983-1985 Professional experience in Aurelio Galfetti’s firm, Tessin,
Switzerland
1985 Private practice in Toronto, Canada
1986 Private practice in Berlin
1988 Member of the Bund Deutscher Architekten Berlin
2001-2002 Fellow, Graduate School of Design, Harvard University, USA
since 2005 Professor at the University of Applied Sciences HTWK, Leipzig, Germany
2006 Partnership with Dipl.-Ing. Tobias Jortzick
since 2008 Co-founder of Line Studio Architects, Hong Kong

Tobias Jortzick
Nationality: German
1994-2002 Technical University of Braunschweig, Germany
2002-2003 Self-employed professional experiences in Spanien
2003 Professional experiences at Architekten Cie, Amsterdam
2003-2004 Professional experiences at gmp Architects, Hamburg,Germany
2004-2005 Professional experiences at KSMS Schemel Stankovic
Ges. v. Arch. mbH, Berlin, Germany
since 2006 Partnership with Marina Stankovic
since 2007 Lecturer at the HTWK Leipzig
since 2008 Co-founder of Line Studio Architects, Hong Kong

James Saywell
Nationality: Canadian
since 1998 in Hong Kong
1984 B. Arch. University of Toronto, School of Architecture, Canada
1984-1987 M. Arch. Princeton University, USA
1987-1990 Professional experience at Michael Graves Architects, Princeton, USA
1991 Professional experience at Michel Makary Architect, Paris, France
1990-1995 Assistant Professor of Arch. at Syracuse University School of Architecture, USA
1993-1997 Own practice in Florence, Italy
since 2002 Editor of Hinge Magazine, Hong Kong
since 2004 Design Director at Wilfrid Wong Design International, Hong Kong
since 2008 Co-founder of Line Studio Architects, Hong Kong

Thyssen Krupp World, Essen - Germany [Competition, 2006]

The ThyssenKrupp Quarter meets a large urban park and a building together. The clear structure is broken down in the confrontation with ThyssenKrupp tradition, and the clarity of linear workflows and processes. The public effective functions of the space program, the Headquarter, the multi-functional building and the hotel which occupy prominent positions within the district. With this outstanding frame of the Plaza, the three urban buildings. The compact form of large leaves the existing landscape utmost share the park and created by the concentration of parts of the building a strong, identifiable form.
The modularity of the quarter underscores the recognition and the ThyssenKrupp Quarter meets a large urban park and a building together. The clear structure is broken down in the confrontation with ThyssenKrupp tradition, and the clarity of linear workflows and processes. The basic form is stringent as background for a playful, flexible architectural language, which includes the inventory building with a drive without your self up.
The ThyssenKrupp headquarters represented in its filigree materiality, using innovative facades - and building technologies ThyssenKrupp own claim to innovation and sustainability.
The headquarters is on the spacious lobby with the level of ThyssenKrupp World, and assigns the representative of top management facilities around the atrium.
The competition area in the north-south direction passing zoning band receives two pages with contrasted characteristics. During the ensuing area to the east a hard, urban quality receives, on the western part of the land the „soft“ image of a scenic parks. The park is considered generous, green space with open borders and solidified by the middle. The resulting landscape on the screen receives rasterorientierten tree plantations - composed of großkronigen and strictly maintained growing trees - an artificially-theoretical accent and transmits the image to the group Thyssen-Krupp, with its high standards of innovation and sustainability of the park, the tree-laden park Parts to linger and relax during the lunch break, the large open meadow for informal games and sunbathing. A principal from surrounding gesandstrahlten massive stainless steel plates, as well as a fine, internal park road network open the park and connect it with the adjacent Thyssen-Krupp Quarter Quarter and the extension.
A steel „ridge“ of four pedestrian bridges over the „Boulevard“ runs the Thyssen-Krupp Park with the west open spaces.

Architect: M. Stankovic + T. Jortzick [Marina Stankovic Architekten BDA]

Berliner Vorstadt Villas - Potsdam [2009]

Architect: M. Stankovic + T. Jortzick [Marina Stankovic Architekten BDA]

Hotel and Housing Chaussestrasse - Berlin [2008]

The adjacent new development that includes a hotel (Ramada) and a block of condominiums situated behind it closed the street front and gave rise to a double-row development for different uses. Both uses profit from their immediate environment. The hotel profits from its street-ward orientation while the residential development is oriented towards the landscaped interior of the block.
The objective of the infill on the Chausseestr. 121-122 property is to enable users to experience the quality of the property and its depth.
The long front of the southern firewall continues to point out the length of the property. However, it is being landscaped and turned into a vertical garden, becoming a desirable orientation for the new uses of the development.
The space between the street-facing façade and the neighbouring building serves as a passageway and a view axis, exposing the green garden on the fire wall. The passage is particularly perceivable since it is in the line of sight of Schlegelstrasse. The area between the vertical garden and the new building contains the public space that its reaching out to visitors inviting them to enter the property and walk along the ‘Catwalk’. to explore the depth of the property. At the same time, this interspace serves as an access to the hotel, the apartments and the ground-level uses (café, conference hall, possibly gallery etc). The widening of the ‘Catwalk’ in this area leads to patio-like open spaces that will be particularly busy due to the concentration of uses and activities.
The landscaped gable wall is meant to become an attraction and distinctive feature of the property. The vertical garden made up by multiple layers of greening and planting keeps the gable wall green all year. The reference objects on the topic of the “Vertical Garden” reflect a playful approach to the gable wall planting. The conference pavilion roof is also planted, creating a continuum with the vertical garden.

Architect: M. Stankovic + T. Jortzick [Marina Stankovic Architekten BDA]

Gyeonggi Museum of Art, Ansan - Korea [Renovation, 2007]

The project of the Gyeonggi Museum of Art is an intervention in a newly opened Museum that was in need of adjustments in the architectural formulation in order to achieve a functioning museological space as well a lively public institution.
Following careful observation on site, the detected deficiencies could be classified in two basic categories: “soft” and “hard”. The hard deficits deal with deficiencies that need basic architectural changes performed onto the construction i.e. shell of the building, functional organisational and standard of building technology /execution. The soft deficiencies consist of interventions that deal with the perception of space and the interior design of the museum spaces, and as such need no structural changes rather adequate infill of support structures such as furniture, additional lighting tracks, acoustics, etc.
With the intention of keeping costs to a minimum a series of small scale interior interventions was proposed, ranging from a new interior for the foyer with media wall, bookshop, children play area and information to the optimization of the exhibition galleries, from daylight to artificial illumination, maximization of space as well as a better navigation of the building for visitors.

Architect: M. Stankovic + T. Jortzick [Marina Stankovic Architekten BDA]

Gyeonggi-do Jeongok Prehistory Museum - Korea
[International competition, 2006]

The surrounding area is characterized by the overwhelming natural hilly landscape, which inscribes the horizon lines and juxtaposes the agricultural patches of the fields. Contour lines converging at the ridge of this plane, echo and reveal the existence of a geological substratum of the basalt precipice.
The museum building becomes a mediator among the diverse conditions of the site, while marking a new access to the archaeological park, by laying open the layer of basalt. The zone of intervention marks the divide between ridge/field, up/down and archaeological plateau/alluvial plane. Intertwined in the path system of the archaeological park, the basalt line becomes a promenade between sky and ground, heaven and earth – a new place to contemplate and view. Both the basalt precipice and the found prehistoric artefacts are witnesses to the sediments of the site. The museum conciliates between artefact and raw material, nature of building and nature of basalt precipice, archaeological site and the exhibited objects, authentic site and museological narration, inside and outside. In its spatial relationships, the volume is both an enclosed container and yet oriented to the outside. The slit volume establishes a strong relationship to its immediate context by means of panoramic views and in the associations it evokes. Primal and heavy. It elevates itself above the ground, allowing transparency while the landscape to flows through it and articulates the path leading to the plateau.

Architect: M. Stankovic + T. Jortzick [Marina Stankovic Architekten BDA]

Masterplan and Villas Development, Shanghai - China [2007]

Architect: M. Stankovic + T. Jortzick [Marina Stankovic Architekten BDA]

Turkish Embassy, Berlin - Germany [Competition, 2007]

The new building of the embassy and administrative building of the Republic of Turkey occupies a prominent site in the Tiergarten district and represents a „piece of Turkey in Berlin“. This new development gives a confident, progressive image of the Republic of Turkey as a country aware of its cultural roots and able to demonstrate it. It represents a modern and European Turkey that functions as a transcontinental link between Occident and Orient while being conscious of its own history and tradition.
The new building ranks as a solitaire among the other embassy buildings along the Tiergarten Street, occupying a traditional embassy location in the city and contributing to the revival of this historic diplomatic district.
The properties located between Landwehr canal and Tiergarten create a special zone on the edge of the Tiergarten, separated from the city by the canal and profiting from the generosity of the Tiergarten layout.
At the same time, the edge of the Tiergarten is defined by the typology of the city villa, forming an urban edge.
The embassy acts as a self-reliant block of harmony inserted in the originally neo-classical building stock along the edge of the Tiergarten. As a solitary building, it has its own story to tell. Despite its compact volume, the building opens up to the surrounding area in order to take advantage of the exclusive location and to convey an image of openness to the outside world.

Architect: M. Stankovic + T. Jortzick [Marina Stankovic Architekten BDA]

International Weiterbildung- und Entwicklungszentrum Zschortau (InWEnt), Leipzig - Germany [Competition, 2008]

Architect: M. Stankovic + T. Jortzick [Marina Stankovic Architekten BDA]

Jia Rui International Plaza, Shanghai - China [Competition 2007, 1st Price]

The main idea is to design an interior for the tower that reflects the expected usage but also plays with the idea of reflection of images and light in order to amplify the perception of the lobby. The interior is then transformed into a kaleidoscope of events, a lively building that portrays the exuberance of its users.
The core is conceived by a curtain wall made up of highly reflecting lamellas, so that they minimize and blend with their environment. The mirroring effect enlarges the space, blurring the boundaries between inside and outside.
By zoning the open spaces and wrapping them gently with the lamella structure, the spaces are separate and yet make up a whole. The usage of the zones is intended to be flexible and multifunctional, and they can be used as event spaces by an external public.
The furniture is loosely arranged throughout the space and conceived as “floating furniture” for flexibility. Retail spaces for a bank are allocated on the ground floor and on the gallery, creating an elevated “bracket” in the north of the lobby space. The elevated gallery becomes an intermediate space for business negotiations, offering multiple views into the lobby area.
The office space used by the bank retains a flexible partition system to allow for future changes of the room sizes.

Architect: M. Stankovic + T. Jortzick [Marina Stankovic Architekten BDA]

Eternal Golden Castle Historic Parks, Tainan - Taiwan
[International Competition 2006, Finalist]

The theme is to create a reverberation of the waterfront line - between land and water - in order to maximize the amplitude of the lagoon front. By establishing parallel and intertwining lines to the coastline, a tension between these is induced, resulting in zones of intense public attraction and leisurely activities.
The main architectural element creates a new artificial horizon, which enables the citizens of Tainan to fully enjoy the waterfront by providing sun and partial shade, protection from high water levels while attempting to display the evidence of the historical past and to retain the given natural environment.
The moulded artificial horizon bundles the program in two main epicentres which reflect the required program, adding to the tourist attraction of the existing Eternal Castle, and by putting all three gravitational centres in relationship to each other.
The Modern Art Museum is located at the end of the Yonghua Road, in the axis of the city, thus occupying a very accessible and visible situation.
The Deyang Warship area and its ticketing facilities are associated to the Café, generating more outdoor spaces for lingering and strolling.The cultural promenade thus creates both a timeline of the history of Taiwan and new spaces for public amenities. The spaces adjacent to the artificial horizon roof structure are scaled to the dimensions of the user groups, generating intimacy where necessitated and open gathering spaces appropriate for their foreseen utilization.

Architect: M. Stankovic + T. Jortzick [Marina Stankovic Architekten BDA]

Kaohsiung Perfomance Arts Center, Kaohsiung - Taiwan
[International Competition, 2006]

In order to bring into balance the discrepancy between north and south Taiwan, the competition brief calls for a design of a professionally theatre of international stature. The new complex is to accommodate the various existing forms of theatre but also the performing styles of Taiwan, and to interconnect the National Kaohsiung Performing Arts Center with other national as well as with international performing institutions. Implied in the brief and upon initial considerations, the following further aims will be explored with this proposal:
- participate in the redevelopment of the great Kaohsiung Metropolitan area by transforming the city through culture and leisure
- integrate the project of the National Kaohsiung Performing Arts Center as part of the city´s green belt connecting the North and South greens, thus putting the mountains and sea in relation to each other
- offer diversified activities in the Weiwuying Metropolitan Park, and serve as an attraction equally for tourists and citizens of Kaohsiung
- establish a new centre for theatre arts that will be of national and global importance, creating a recognizable architectural icon
- frame the theatre and lyric complex as a monument in the city, and enhance visibility of site in the overall skyline of Kaohsiung
- address the specific issues of site – such as accessibility, subdivision, disposition of usages, historical conservation of existing buildings, buffer area to highway, air filters, and other micro-climatic issues.

Architect: M. Stankovic + T. Jortzick [Marina Stankovic Architekten BDA]