The future Daniel K. Inouye Center for Democratic Leadership will be more than just a museum and a space to house the late senator’s congressional papers, including those from the Watergate and Iran-Contra scandals.

The University of Hawaii building, previously estimated at $25 million, will also feature modern classrooms designated as "student innovation zones" and meeting places called "civic engagement areas."

UH officials on Tuesday unveiled plans for a three-story structure with a sleek and contemporary design, featuring open and flexible spaces and lots of glass walls that open to a "great lawn." It will go on the upper Manoa site where aging Henke Hall now sits on East-West Road.

The designs by Clifford Planning & Architecture of Honolulu and Pei Cobb Freed & Partners Architects of New York are part of the project’s "pre-design" phase. They still face another year of tweaking before building permits are sought, said Ben Lee, Clifford vice president, and that will be followed by another 18 to 24 months of construction.

The proposed 15,000- to 20,000-square-foot facility faced heavy criticism last year due in part to the speed with which the university was pursuing the center. But UH backed off on an accelerated timeline after deferring to the wishes of the Inouye family.

"It was a difficult decision," said Jennifer Sabas, the senator’s longtime chief of staff and now director of the Daniel K. Inouye Institute Fund. "But it really was the best decision we could have made," allowing for greater decision-making transparency and more time for planning.

As proposed, the Inouye Center will advance public service leadership, democratic ideals and global awareness through research fellows, K-12 educational events, exhibits, public lectures and other programs.

The current plan calls for the housing of all seven academic programs of the university’s College of Social Sciences. The facility will include archival space for the senator’s collections, dual reading rooms with digital access to the Library of Congress, auditorium space for public lectures and classrooms, meeting rooms, multipurpose rooms, exhibition space and multimedia capability, study areas, research facilities and more.

During a presentation Tuesday, UH officials held up ‘Iolani School’s new Sullivan Center for Innovation and Leadership as one of the project’s design models. The $23 million Sullivan Center opened in October with modern, flexible learning spaces that attempt to mimic the collaborative process of high-tech firms in Silicon Valley.

Also in the plan are sustainable features that include a roof section designed like a wind scoop to capture the tradewinds for natural ventilation, a garden or green space on the roof and a 30-foot overhanging canopy designed to protect the exterior glass walls and offer some shade for the lawn.

Lee said the ground floor will feature spaces for "inspiration and civic engagement," including areas for small lectures and gatherings with up to 600 people.

The second level will hold the "innovation zone" classrooms, equipped with the latest learning technology and adjustable walls for creating flexible spaces, while the third level will be devoted to Inouye’s documents and papers spanning five decades in Congress.

Many of the ideas for the center came during workshops with students, faculty and community members, officials said.

As part of their homework for the design phase, the architects took a road trip across America to learn about the features of other congressional centers, Lee said. They visited centers honoring Sen. Robert Dole of Kansas, West Virginia Sen. Robert Byrd, Georgia Sen. Richard Russell and Sens. Ernest Hollings and Strom Thurmond of South Carolina.

On Tuesday the reviews for the new plans were positive.

"It’s completely impressive," said Kathie Kane of UH’s Office of Faculty Development and Academic Support. "There’s been a lot considered here to make it an engaging place."

Sang-Hyop Lee of the UH Center for Korean Studies said he’s looking forward to the spacious meeting rooms.

"It’s great," he said while eyeing the renderings. "We always have issues with space."

Davianna McGregor, UH ethnic studies professor, called it a beautiful design. But, she added, she’s not sure how useful the large lawn will be without more protection from the sun and rain. She also said she hopes more features of Hawaii are integrated into the plan.

ENLARGE PHOTO.

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On the net:

» View the design concepts at go.hawaii.edu/3O.

» Offering comments on the plans at go.hawaii.edu/V3.