They’re just conceptual images, but they spark the imagination about what’s possible, and why the Barack Obama Presidential Center would be such a stellar addition to Honolulu’s waterfront.

The official proposal, coordinated by the University of Hawaii with the participation of public and private partners, has been submitted to the Barack Obama Foundation, the entity that will develop the legacy institution to preserve the president’s documents and represent the record of his administration.

It’s what’s generally called the "presidential library" but can entail multiple facilities to serve the continuing advocacy and outreach of the nation’s chief executive once out of office.

UH, considered an underdog among the final four contenders —the University of Chicago, the University of Illinois at Chicago and Columbia University are the other three — made an impressive pitch in the proposal submitted by Thursday’s deadline.

It makes a strong case that at least part of this repository belongs in Honolulu, a location that projects much the same international orientation that Obama has championed through two terms.

The Hawaii cohort that has assembled this proposal is a broad public-private assembly, including Hawaii constituencies in the education and business sectors along with representatives of Hawaii’s indigenous and diverse cultures.

Considering that Hawaii is open to the possibility that it could host a selected part of the center — one with an educational focus, perhaps — an all-hands-on-deck approach to the planning seems the right way to go.

The proposal, according to its sponsors, is for "a center that cultivates young leaders and brings people together to solve global problems."

The main components would be a K-12 Global Youth Leadership Academy; a Convening Institute, a UH Center for Community Organizing and an interactive visitor center. These seem a good fit for a center set in Hawaii and elements that recollect Obama’s own personal history.

Further, the conceptual designs embrace what’s unique about a Hawaii location. Each is a little different, but all of them place the center’s structures on a campus that is open to the sky, land and sea.

There’s even a suggestion for a vegetable garden, one that could be kept year-round.

Surely that’s a tip of the hat directed at the first lady, Michelle Obama, who started her own garden at the White House. Her influence on the decision is clearly, and wisely, not being overlooked.

Hawaii might as well make the most of its inherent advantages of natural beauty and position central to the Asia-Pacific region.

Its remoteness, the other side of the same coin, will weigh against it.

The UH group assembled four design teams to present its vision. One, Ferraro Choi, laid out guiding principals of the center’s "Living Building Challenge," goals for future architectural designs that conserve energy and reflect the state’s sustainability ethic.

Three others created artist’s renderings that capture elements of the vision: Allied Works Architecture, Snohetta/WCIT and MOS/ Workshop-HI.

The final designer will be selected by the president and his foundation, but the drawings leave a strong impression about ways to make this project distinctive. The foundation should take some inspiration from them, should Hawaii be selected.

What the Obamas certainly are considering in their decision is the capacity of the community to raise the funds needed to build a center. Although the nation’s 13 presidential libraries operated under the auspices of the National Archives, they are built with private funds.

Although Chicago and New York seem out in front where big donors are concerned, UH must point out that Hawaii has no small cache of private money that could be tapped for the many millions these projects require.

Obama’s own connection to his alma mater, the well-funded Punahou School, doesn’t hurt.

This is especially important if Hawaii houses a function other than the reposi- tory of records itself. The Archives maintain the library itself, but other parts of the institute will need to support themselves.

The greatest beneficiary of this center would be Hawaii itself. The islands should welcome another lure for its many visitors, especially one that promotes Obama’s multiculturalism, values that this state shares.

And it’s one that is appropriate to the vision for the waterfront, a place that’s open to the public and inviting.

The Obamas will arrive here shortly for their yearly Christmas holiday. As always, Hawaii welcomes them, and this year, especially hopes they consider eight acres in Kakaako Makai as another place suited to their work and aspirations.