Advertiser hires builder for plant

By Scott Ishikawa
Advertiser Staff Writer

Honolulu architects AM Partners designed The Honolulu Advertiser Publishing Center-Kapolei production and distribution facility, which will feature multi-story expanses of glass through which the presses will be visible. AM Partners of Honolulu

The planned 147,000-square-foot building at the intersection of Kapolei Parkway and Kalaeloa Boulevard is scheduled to open in summer 2004. Grading at the site will begin in July, with construction to follow later in the year.

The newspaper bought 11.6 acres, fee simple, from the James Campbell Estate in December to replace its existing production plant in downtown Honolulu.

"We're thrilled to have someone of Dick Pacific's experience associated with building our new publishing plant," said Michael Fisch, Advertiser president and publisher. "This facility is key to our long-term investment in Hawai'i, and we're very excited to have all the key component contracts signed and the project under way. This is another milestone in our 146-year history in Hawai'i."

The Advertiser released drawings of the proposed facility by local architect AM Partners of Honolulu. The building features large, multi-story expanses of glass. Other design touches include stylized waves and canoe paddles along the side of the building, a curving canopy over the front entrance and a large wave-like arch near the top of the building.

Roland Libby, principal in charge of AM Partners, said his firm designed the building to "maintain a connection to Hawai'i" through the use of the wave motif and exterior colors representing water, sand and sky.

Fisch said construction of the $25 million building would be coordinated with the delivery and installation of new state-of-the-art color offset printing presses. The Advertiser signed a purchase agreement last year for two Regioman offset presses from MAN Roland of Augsburg, Germany. The presses will take 20 months to build and will be operational by mid-2004.

The Advertiser also has entered into an agreement with Graphic Management Associates of Bethlehem, Pa., to provide equipment for bundling and placing advertising inserts into the daily newspaper.

The newspaper hired Maryl Group Inc. of Honolulu to add water, electrical and sewer lines to the site and to make traffic improvements to the area, including the extension of Kapolei Parkway.

The total cost of the project is $81 million.

About 400 of the Advertiser's 900 employees will move to the new facility, Fisch said.

The Advertiser's business and editorial operations will remain at 605 Kapi'olani Boulevard, where the newspaper has been published since 1929. The Kapi'olani building is to be renovated once the Kapolei facility is operating.