Closed School Returns with a New Face... Busan City Opens 'Busan Environmental Experience Education Center'

Opening Ceremony Held at Former Banyeo Elementary School on the Morning of the 18th
Selected for the Ministry of Environment's "Closed School Eco-School Pilot Project"

Closed schools will no longer serve as the subject of ghost stories. This is because Busan City is transforming these closed schools into new educational facilities.

On the morning of September 18, Busan City (Mayor Park Hyungjoon) held the opening ceremony for the Busan Environmental Experience Education Center at the multipurpose hall of the former Banyeo Elementary School in Banyeo-dong, Haeundae District.

Approximately 60 people attended the event, including Mayor Park Hyungjoon, Busan Deputy Superintendent of Education Lee Kanguk, National Assembly member Kim Miae, Haeundae District Mayor Kim Seongsu, Director of Climate and Carbon Policy at the Ministry of Environment An Sechang, city council members, and local residents. The ceremony began with a pre-event performance, followed by the opening declaration, congratulatory speeches, a performance, and a tour of the facility.

The Busan Environmental Experience Education Center was established over four years in collaboration with the Busan Metropolitan Office of Education, after being selected for the Ministry of Environment’s “Closed School Eco-School Pilot Project.” From the establishment of the basic plan in 2021 to design, remodeling, and installation of exhibition content, the project was carried out in phases. While 50 schools in Busan alone have closed due to declining school-age populations, this is the first case of transforming a closed school into an environmental education space, addressing the previously limited options for utilizing such sites.

The education center has been created as a complex space that connects environmental understanding with practical actions in daily life. The first floor features an upcycling library, a classroom for young children, and an environmental experience and workshop room. The second floor houses an exhibition hall focused on the climate crisis and carbon neutrality, while the third floor includes an open classroom, a recording studio, a seminar room, and a multipurpose hall.

The city evaluated this project not as a simple reuse of a closed school, but as the creation of a complex space reflecting local needs. The east building serves as the Environmental Experience Education Center, while the north building and playground are utilized by the Office of Education as environmental spaces. Haeundae District is developing the annex as “Banyeo Plus School,” and the basement area as a public parking lot. The aging Banyeo Forest Ecological Park will be renovated into an ecological experience and recreation space.

Mayor Park Hyungjoon stated, “This project is meaningful not only because it has transformed a closed school into an environmental education space for future generations, but also because it brings together the capabilities of the local community to integrate education, culture, parking, and community functions, thereby providing a space that truly benefits citizens’ lives. Our city will continue to actively create spaces with diverse functions tailored to local needs through collaboration.”