Key facts

  • Date

    9 April 2026

  • By

    Bouygues Construction's Press Department

  • Category

    Press release

Bouygues Construction expands its presence in the Caribbean with two major education projects

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Americaribe, a subsidiary of Bouygues Construction operating in the United States and the Caribbean, has been selected to design and deliver two large-scale projects to reconstruct and modernise educational facilities on the islands of St Thomas and St Croix in the US Virgin Islands, in a joint venture with US-based Suffolk Construction.

The combined value of the various construction phases of these two projects could total €1.45 billion (US$1.67 billion) over the next five years*.

Awarded by the Virgin Islands Office of Disaster Recovery (VIODR) as part of the Virgin Islands Public Finance Authority (VIPFA) and with designs by Florida-based architectural firm Zyscovich, these programmes form part of the local government’s ‘Rebuild USVI’ initiative, launched in the aftermath of Hurricanes Irma and Maria, which struck the territories in 2017. The aim is to rebuild and modernise ten school facilities and two administrative buildings across the two islands, St Thomas and St Croix, creating resilient, modern educational facilities tailored to the needs of local communities.

St Thomas Educational Bundle

St Thomas Educational Facilities Bundle is a programme to rebuild, modernise and extend six schools from pre-kindergarten to high school and to construct a new administrative building.

With a total surface area of 52,200 m², the future campus will have capacity for more than 4,060 children and 150 staff members in modern, safe and sustainable learning facilities.

*Orders will be placed in phases, as each work package is approved as the project advances.

St Croix Educational Bundle

St Croix Educational Facilities Bundle concerns the construction and modernisation of four schools, from pre-kindergarten to middle school, and an administrative building, representing a total surface area of 60,650 m². Nearly 3,785 students will benefit from this project, which involves the creation of new, fully-equipped educational campuses, incorporating classrooms, science and IT labs, libraries, specialist teaching facilities and collaborative spaces for teachers.

Infrastructure designed for climate resilience and sustainability

Both projects incorporate a high level of resilience to climate and seismic risks. The buildings are designed to withstand strong winds and will include several hurricane shelters as well as secure shelters and rooms. They will also be equipped with solar panels capable of providing three days’ energy autonomy, covering 115% of the campus’s energy requirements. The projects also have ambitious environmental objectives, aiming to achieve the Net Zero Ready rating. In particular, they will incorporate rainwater harvesting systems, solar power generation systems with battery storage, and a range of solutions to optimise energy efficiency.

The works will be carried out in several phases to ensure that school activities can continue without interruption. An estimated 600 workers will be present on site at peak periods. Design work for the St Thomas project began early 2025, and the last facility handover is scheduled for early 2031. The pre-construction phase of the St Croix project began in February 2026, and it will be delivered progressively until March 2031.

These ambitious projects represent a crucial investment in the region’s future. Through them, Americaribe is strengthening its commitment to education and making a positive contribution to the community in the U.S. Virgin Islands.

Bouygues Construction has many years’ experience of designing and delivering educational facilities around the world, ranging from primary schools to university campuses. Over the last 50 years, the company has built or renovated more than 500 educational buildings in France, including some 130 primary schools, 220 middle schools and 150 high schools. In other countries, it has completed around 400 completed and ongoing projects. Recent examples include the Joliot-Curie middle school in Bagneux, France; St John’s Academy in Grove, United Kingdom; and the BCA Academy training centre in Singapore.