On the heels of an Aloha Stadium Authority consultant’s recommendation for a stadium with 30,000 to 35,000 seats, the University of Hawaii athletic department has unveiled its own concept of a 30,585-seat multipurpose facility.

The UH version, as envisioned by the Gens­ler design and architectural firm of Los Angeles, is estimated to cost $165 million to $190 million, depending upon whether a partial roof is included, but is not specific to any location.

The version recommended to the stadium authority June 26 by the Foley & Lardner law firm of New York was estimated at $132 million to $192 million without a roof and to be built on a lower portion of the current stadium site in Halawa. The recommendations are part of a $250,000 study.

Athletic director Ben Jay, who commissioned the UH study at a cost of $15,000 from donated funds, said the UH concept "is being shared with the Aloha Stadium Authority and its consultant. We didn’t want to identify any sites because, quite frankly, it isn’t our call."

Jay said in a statement, "We will continue to collaborate with the authority and (stadium manager) Scott Chan as well as their stadium consultant. However, the university will look to the Stadium Authority to lead future efforts as they analyze the report and recommendations made by Foley & Lardner. We appreciate the opportunity to provide input to their process."

A spokesman for Aloha Stadium declined comment until the authority has had an opportunity to review and discuss the UH-commissioned report.

UH is listed among the more than 30 stakeholders the Foley & Lardner study interviewed for its study.

When it accepted the Foley & Lardner report last month, the stadium authority said the next step would be for the consultants to develop "criteria for a request for information solicitation and drafting of a request for quotation solicitation regarding the future of the site, based upon decisions made by the Stadium Authority."

Authority Chairman Charles Togu­chi has said the group has yet to make "any definitive decisions regarding the future of Aloha Stadium."

The stadium authority said it will gather public input and has scheduled a public open house for Thursday at 5 p.m. with a 6:30 p.m. briefing and 7:30-8:30 p.m. public-comment period at the stadium’s hospitality room.

The 50,000-seat Aloha Stadium starts its 39th season in September, and officials have sought to make a determination about the future of the state’s largest athletic facility in the face of mounting repair and maintenance costs.

The Department of Accounting and General Services has estimated that $120 million in "high priority health and safety improvements are needed to keep the stadium operational for the next five to 10 years," according to the Foley & Lardner report.

In the UH version the field would be suitable for football, soccer, rugby, lacrosse and concerts. In a concert setting it could seat 35,000 to 38,000, according to the report. A "grassy knoll" family area would seat approximately 530 on a lawn above one end zone.

It would include 25 club suites of various sizes, seating 18 to 36 people each, and three "university club" suites each with room for 40 people and hospitality areas dedicated for "donor recruitment."

Gensler’s website lists involvement with renovation or reconstruction of Dodger Stadium, the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum, Roland Garros and the Northern Arizona Skydome as among the projects it has participated in.

In commissioning the study, Jay said he wanted "something with fan-friendly amenities that would mimic some aspects of the old Hono­lulu Stadium, especially the sightlines and proximity to the field."

The field surface of the UH concept is listed as 106,000 square feet, smaller than either Aloha Stadium (108,000 square feet) or Hono­lulu Stadium (130,000 square feet), according to the report. The building’s footprint is 465,290 square feet, or 10.65 acres, which does not include parking.

Honolulu Stadium, which was at Isen­berg and King streets between 1926 and 1976, hosted a variety of events and had a listed seating capacity of 24,000 but was sometimes reported to have held as many as 30,000. Parking was for 87 cars, when it didn’t rain. It was torn down a year after Aloha Stadium opened.

While the concept facility would fit in an urban environment, Jay said, "it wasn’t designed specifically to be in the urban core or out in the (country). My whole point of the study was concentrating on the building and what it would give us for the price. Where it might (be located) is up to powers a lot bigger than me."

SEATING BREAKDOWN

Seating capacity for sporting events would be about 30,585, not including approximately 530 seats on the lawn. Concerts could accommodate 35,000 to 38,000.

(estimation for casual seating on stadium main concourse level)