La Garenne International School

La Garenne International School, one of Switzerland’s oldest international boarding schools, has provided exceptional education and personalised student attention for over 75 years. Located at 1,300 metres in the alpine village of Villars-sur-Ollon, the school benefits from a unique setting close to ski lifts and mountain trails.

Known as “a family away from home,” the school offers a safe, family-centred environment for students from over 40 countries. It cultivates a globally-minded, inclusive community where students thrive academically, socially, and emotionally, instilling a lifelong love of learning and responsible citizenship.

The school’s campus blends modern educational facilities with the breathtaking natural beauty of the Swiss Alps. Their recent project—a newly designed science laboratory—reflects this vision. Located in the basement of the academic building, the space was once two music rooms but has now been transformed into a state-of-the-art science laboratory.

Having previously collaborated with the school on another project, SB Labs worked closely with La Garenne to adapt the lab design to the unique challenges of the basement space, ensuring the new learning area was both innovative and functional.

The SpaceStation and Mercury workstations were essential in bringing the science laboratory to life, creating a dynamic space that encourages collaboration and supports the school’s “learning by doing” ethos. Together, these workstations provide a stimulating environment where La Garenne’s middle school students can engage directly with the scientific process, sparking curiosity, critical thinking and deeper understanding in the heart of the Swiss Alps.