Melbourne’s new convention centre has been awarded a six star Green Star rating by the Green Building Council of Australia.

It’s an achievement that’s been hailed as a win for the environment and for business by the peak policy council for the Victorian Tourism Industry, the Victoria Tourism Industry Council (VTIC).

VTIC Chairman Jeremy Johnson said the new convention centre—due to open next year—would be a “sustainability beacon” for the tourism industry and will give it a extra marketing edge over other rival centres in the region.

“The centre will cement Melbourne’s reputation as Australia’s leading conference and convention destination for business tourists, and will help inject nearly $200m a year into the state economy and create 2500 jobs over 25 years,” Johnson said.

Johnson said environmental features included in the Convention Centre include:

. Solar panels to deliver all public amenity hot water requirements.

. A black-water recycling plant to recycle waste water to supply toilets, cooling towers and to irrigate landscapes.

. Natural light and energy-saving controls on installed lighting.

. Lighting fixtures that adjust dependent on the amount of daylight detected in the room.

. Many of the building materials are sourced from renewable and sustainable industries.