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BVB and ABB Turn SIGNAL IDUNA PARK into a Showcase for Smart Energy Management
Every matchday, more than 81,000 fans transform SIGNAL IDUNA PARK into one of football's most electrifying venues. Behind the scenes, another kind of performance makes that experience possible: the intelligent management of energy, electrical infrastructure and building systems.
Few environments test infrastructure more intensely than a football stadium. Within hours, SIGNAL IDUNA PARK shifts from everyday operation to serving supporters, broadcasters, hospitality areas, security systems and other critical services. Energy demand can rise sharply from near-zero to peak megawatt levels while operational continuity remains non-negotiable.
“Thousands of people come together to create something extraordinary at Signal Iduna Park,” Dr. Christian Hockenjos, Director of Organization & Managing Director BVB Stadium Management GmbH, said. “With ABB, we have a partner that shares our ambition to continuously improve performance – not only on the pitch, but throughout the infrastructure behind it. Building on our existing collaboration, we want to set new standards for efficient and future-ready stadium operations.”
Unlike a new-build stadium designed from scratch, SIGNAL IDUNA PARK is an established venue whose infrastructure has grown and evolved over decades. Originally opened in 1974, the stadium demonstrates how existing infrastructure can be retrofitted through electrification – a challenge relevant across many building types, industries and public infrastructure.
Over the past years, Borussia Dortmund and ABB have worked together to modernize the stadium’s electrical infrastructure, KNX-based building automation, heating, ventilation, air conditioning (HVAC), and energy management systems. This work builds on SIGNAL IDUNA PARK's ISO 50001-certified energy management system, which provides a structured and independently validated framework for monitoring, measuring and continuously improving energy performance. As Energy Management Partner, ABB will now build on this foundation to further optimize energy use, increase operational transparency, and support Borussia Dortmund's continuous improvement of energy performance.
Central to the approach is an open, scalable architecture that integrates with existing systems and can expand across the wider BVB portfolio, from the Dortmund-Brackel training ground and academy to BVB Fan-Welt and future EV charging infrastructure. What is being developed at SIGNAL IDUNA PARK is not just relevant for the world’s most demanding live venues, but for the modernization of complex existing buildings everywhere.
“Our partnership with ABB demonstrates how a long-standing collaboration can lead to concrete solutions that deliver strategic value for both sides. Together, we are making Signal Iduna Park more efficient and future-proof,” says Benedikt Scholz, Director Internationalization & Commercial Partnerships at BVB.
“Signal Iduna Park combines the demands of critical infrastructure with the complexity of a building that has evolved over decades,” said Mark Zwerner, VP Strategic Partnerships at ABB. “By bringing together electrification, energy management and building automation through an open, scalable architecture, we can help Borussia Dortmund improve performance while maintaining reliable operations. What we prove here can provide a blueprint for complex buildings far beyond football.”
This partnership brings together two organizations committed to demonstrating that energy efficiency, operational performance and long-term resilience go hand in hand. ABB's mission to help buildings become more energy-efficient, connected and future-ready – combined with Borussia Dortmund's SBTi-validated climate targets and experience operating one of Europe's most complex and most visited properties – sets a new standard for what's possible in demanding, real-world environments.
