HONOLULU (AP) - The University of Hawaii has unveiled plans for the future center named after the late U.S. Sen. Daniel Inouye, incorporating ideas that came from the public.
University officials say many of the ideas for the Daniel K. Inouye Center for Democratic Leadership came from workshops with students, faculty and community members.
The 15,000- to 20,000-square-foot center will be at the Manoa campus on the site where the aging Henke Hall now sits.
The university provided a preview this week, showing off contemporary design elements including glass walls, archival space for Inouye’s collections and a roof section designed to capture trade winds for natural ventilation.
The university backed off on its accelerated timeline for the center, previously estimated at $25 million, after criticism from the public and after deferring to the wishes of Inouye’s family, The Honolulu Star-Advertiser (https://ow.ly/wDkY2) reported Thursday.
Jennifer Sabas, the senator’s former chief of staff and now director of the Daniel K. Inouye Institute Fund, said it was a difficult decision but necessary to allow more transparency and more time for planning.
Architects visited other congressional centers nationwide for ideas during the design phase.
The designs still face another year of tweaking and construction is expected to take up to two years, said Ben Lee, vice president of Clifford Planning & Architecture of Honolulu. The New York firm Pei Cobb Freed & Partners Architects is also involved.
“It’s completely impressive,” said Kathie Kane of the UH’s Office of Faculty Development and Academic Support. “There’s been a lot considered here to make it an engaging place.”
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Information from: Honolulu Star-Advertiser, https://www.staradvertiser.com
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