Good Genes pix

The most iconic Kanner Architects project is perhaps the In-N-Out Burger drive-through in Westwood—the eye-popping red and yellow volumes and boomerang shape won scores of honors, including an AIA National Honor Award. The low-income Metro Hollywood Apartments rely on color, too, but in a Piet Mondrian mode. And United Oil, a gas station now under construction in L.A., will integrate pumps, a store, and a car wash in a swooping silver whole, meant to evoke the California freeway.

Stephen Kanner slows down for a second—and brings us up to speed.

What's the most unusual project you have going on?

United Oil in Ladera Heights. It's a wealthy area that's mostly African-American, and the intersection where we're building is heavily traveled—it already has gas stations on the other three corners. So we're using high-end materials to make a grand statement: Profilit channel glass to enclose the store, factory-finished sheet metal for the curved canopy over the pumps, and integrally colored concrete paving all around. Inside, the store is all red, with Pirelli rubber flooring and glossy plastic-laminate walls.

Since the site is small, we're building a concrete ramp that runs over the store, then flows down easily into the car wash. Plus, it looks like a freeway ramp.

How have you helped make Puma hip again?

It began six years ago, when Puma was looking to roll out independent shops for the first time, so the brand had its own presence. It started out being a street brand, but our idea was more "innocent." Every inch of the retail projects doesn't feel like it's being worked out for a profit—customers shouldn't feel like they're being sold a bill of goods.

So what did you do?

We created a color scheme and designed imagery. Puma used to be hunter green and tan. We turned it red and white, with the big cat. For the store interiors, we based the spatial quality on a loft.

How many stores are there in total?

So far, we've done 100. They're in all the major U.S. cities. Abroad, there's Tokyo, Singapore, Rome, Berlin, London, Glasgow, Athens, Stockholm, and Antwerp, Belgium.

Anything else unusual?

We're helping to develop MetroBike at the Metro Hollywood Apartments. The theory is that people from around the neighborhood can drop off their bikes and ride the subway from the station, which is right under the building—and that all of L.A.'s subway stations will offer the same service sometime in the future.

How does it work?

The bikes are locked in a lit glass cube monitored by an attendant. People can get their bikes fixed there and also pick up area maps, which we'll have designed.

And residential projects?

We're working on eight, including houses in California, Nashville, and the Hamptons.

Do they have anything in common?

The spaces are thoughtful and, in a way, simple. But not in a John Pawson way. They all have a depth of materiality. I love concrete and plywood, steel and glass, tiles and plastics. Of course, I'm also interested in composites and sustainable materials.

Aren't you doing a rug line?

Yes. I'm using the square shape of mosaic tiles to develop a collection of rugs with a geometric pattern inspired by Herbert Bayer. They're being made in China and Afghanistan.

Did you ever consider another profession?

When I was 15, I had a show of paintings at the Collaborative Gallery in L.A. At Berkeley, I was a teaching assistant in lithography. But neither was very practical.

Might your two daughters be the fourth generation at Kanner Architects?

I think they might. Charlotte is only 5 years old, and her paintings already show promise. Caroline is 10, and she paints like Sam Francis—her wood sculptures are equally abstract. I'm proud of their work.