The American Cooperative School of Tunis (ACST) is an international school serving 600 students from pre-kindergarten through 12th grade. During the civil unrest of the Arab Spring in September 2012, the school was attacked, looted, and set on fire by a mob. After developing a master plan for rebuilding the campus, Flansburgh was engaged by the school to rebuild its elementary school.

The building’s design takes its inspiration from the stark modernist style of traditional North African architecture, with white-washed walls and an interplay of solid and void and light and shadow. 

Renovations to existing classrooms will increase natural light and support collaborative teaching by linking adjacent classrooms through flexible breakout spaces. Sustainable elements include a passive ventilation system driven by a solar chimney, which will decrease the use of air conditioning in the shoulder seasons and provide better indoor air quality overall.