New York, Honolulu firms hired to design Inouye center

The internationally renowned architectural firm Pei Cobb Freed & Partners of New York City has been selected along with Hono­lulu-based Clifford Planning & Architecture to design the Daniel K. Inouye library at the University of Hawaii.

Interim UH President David Lassner made the announcement Tuesday in Washington, D.C., at a reception hosted by the Daniel K. Inouye Institute.

Pei Cobb Freed & Partners says it has completed nearly 250 projects in more than 100 cities worldwide since its founding in 1955, including the East-West Center in Manoa.

Some of the firm’s other works include the John F. Kennedy Library in Boston; the San Francisco Main Public Library; the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum in Cleveland; and the Ronald Reagan Building and International Trade Center in Washington, D.C.

Clifford Planning’s projects have included renovating the Prince Kuhio Federal Building and designing a surgical clinic at Tripler Army Medical Center, according to its website.

Last month, the UH Board of Regents agreed to slow the process for pursuing the planned center to house Ino­uye’s congressional papers and dramatically cut the state funding it will initially seek for the project.

The move came after Ino­uye’s family asked that UH take more time to get feedback from the public and to obtain more accurate information on the size and cost of the project.

The UH administration had planned to ask the regents to approve expedited plans for a proposed $27.5 million facility, including $15 million in state general obligation bonds and $10 million in federal funds.

The regents instead approved requesting $5 million in state bond financing.

The planned project generated criticism not only for the speed with which UH was pursuing it but also for the hefty price tag.

At $27 million, it would have been the priciest new building on a per-square-foot basis that UH has pursued in years.