As the school’s architect of record, Perkins Eastman is overseeing the first new public school to be built anywhere in the US Virgin Islands for nearly 30 years. When it opens in the fall of 2026, the Arthur A. Richards campus will boast seven buildings situated along a curving spine of colorful walkways, plantings, and shade trees. One of them will be a gymnasium that doubles as the community’s hurricane shelter. The school is also designed for net zero energy ready—a crucial element because the school needs to function off-grid for up to 28 days after a natural disaster until reinforcement generators arrive on the island or until the grid is repaired.

The new school supports a changing educational vision for USVI Public Schools by focusing on teaching and learning for the whole student within a values system that prioritizes resilience, flexibility and adaptability, access to quality education, and sustainable high-performance design. The design will include the new construction of the administration, core academic and elective spaces, a media center, spaces for special-education services, food service, athletic and physical education facilities, and building-support facilities.

The buildings will respond directly to the island’s climate and culture. Each structure features expansive roof overhangs that will provide deep shade at their entries, and additional shade structures will let students play or learn outside in relative comfort. The buildings are also sited to take advantage of prevailing breezes, which will flow through their semi-conditioned public spaces, while offices and classrooms will be fully air-conditioned.