BUSAN — The outdoor exhibition area at the National Science Museum in Busan, a summer water-play destination for children and families in the city for the past decade, is being remade into a year-round hands-on space built around science.
The museum said on the 27th that it will begin renovation work on the outdoor exhibition area through December, redeveloping the 2,199-square-meter site before reopening in January. The core of the 1.2 billion won project is to convert a space centered on water play into a "science playground" that combines mist, play equipment and lessons in physics.
The existing outdoor area, which opened in 2015 along with the museum itself, consisted of the Water Playground and the Science Park, a hands-on science play area. The water zone, equipped with ground fountains, became a popular summer draw for children and families.
With free public water-play facilities multiplying across Busan over the past 10 years, the museum decided to redefine the role of its outdoor area. The city now has 11 official free water-play facilities, and the number reaches 20 when park facilities are included. The museum plans to leave the water-play function to public infrastructure and differentiate itself with an outdoor space befitting a science museum.
The new outdoor area will be reorganized into SCI-FOGROUND and SCIENCE PARK. SCI-FOGROUND is a science playground that pairs mist with play equipment. Mist that sprays fine water droplets will be used throughout the space to keep it comfortable during summer heat waves while serving as a science exhibit in its own right.
A transportation-themed attraction will feature a self-powered monorail that moves on power generated by riders' own movements, letting visitors learn about energy conversion and the principles of motion through their bodies. Net climbing structures and trampolines will also incorporate scientific principles such as airflow, rotation, friction and optical illusion.
The Science Park is being redesigned as a space where visitors experience physics through dynamic movement. Its signature exhibit, the Sky Racer, demonstrates how potential energy converts into kinetic energy along with acceleration, friction and resistance. The Rolling Cart uses an eccentric shaft to show how rotational motion becomes vertical motion. The idea is to help visitors grasp through play the mechanical principles applied in car engines and bicycle parts.
Extending the time visitors spend in the outdoor area is another goal of the overhaul. Because the space is open and free of charge, the museum wants nearby residents as well as museum visitors to use it like a playground, and to keep people on site after they finish indoor exhibits.
Safety standards will also be tightened. The museum will adjust the layout to secure safe distances between exhibits, select appropriate flooring materials and follow safety inspection procedures. Operation of the mini train near the outdoor area will be suspended during construction, with on-site safety management reinforced.
"We built elements of scientific inquiry into every exhibit so that children can naturally discover scientific principles while moving and playing freely," said Song Sam-jong, director of the National Science Museum in Busan. "We will move beyond the role of a water park loved for 10 years and present a new outdoor science and culture space that visitors can enjoy longer and more fully."
