Bouygues Construction, through its US and Caribbean subsidiary, Americaribe, has been appointed to design and build two major education projects on St Thomas and St Croix, part of the US Virgin Islands (USVI).

Working in a joint venture (JV) with Suffolk Construction, the company will deliver new school facilities with a combined estimated value of up to €1.45bn over the next five years, as orders for each phase are approved.

The Virgin Islands Office of Disaster Recovery, part of the local Virgin Islands Public Finance Authority, awarded the contracts under the Rebuild USVI programme initiated after Hurricanes Irma and Maria impacted the territory in 2017.

On St Thomas, the project will involve reconstructing and expanding six schools from the pre-kindergarten to high school level, as well as establishing a new administrative centre.

The campus will cover 52,200m² and accommodate more than 4,060 students and 150 staff.

In St Croix, construction works will modernise four schools and create an additional administrative building, spanning a total of 60,650m² and serving nearly 3,785 pupils.

Both project bundles include the development of new classrooms, laboratories, libraries and facilities designed for teaching and staff collaboration.

The design phase for St Thomas began in early 2025, while preparatory work for St Croix started in February 2026.

Handover of all facilities is expected by March 2031, with works scheduled in phases to maintain uninterrupted access to education on both islands.

Activity at both sites will require up to 600 workers during peak construction periods.

The facilities are designed to resist climate and seismic risks.

Plans include the integration of hurricane shelters and secured rooms, as well as solar panels that provide three days of energy autonomy and exceed the campuses’ energy needs.

The projects are designed to meet the Net Zero Ready standard and will include features such as rainwater harvesting and energy-efficiency measures.

Florida-based Zyscovich is providing architectural design services for the new school infrastructure.

Over the past 50 years, Bouygues Construction has completed more than 900 educational projects worldwide, including schools and university buildings.

In September 2025, following financial close, Bouygues UK was appointed as the principal contractor for the University of Exeter’s West Park project.