A design competition has been launched today for one of the most prestigious buildings in the ￡1.7 billion West Kowloon Cultural District in Hong Kong.

The Xiqu Centre for Chinese opera is one of the first venues within Foster and Partners’ 40ha masterplan to be the subject of an expressions of interest (EOI) call.

It is scheduled to be completed around the end of 2015, the first of 17 core arts and cultural venues to open.

The brief requires a world-class facility for the preservation and development of Chinese opera as well as a “gateway” building since it will occupy a prime site at the eastern edge of the district.

The competition is for the design of a 1,100-seat main theatre, a 400-seat small theatre, a tea house for audiences of up to 200, plus training and education facilities.

Michael Lynch, chief executive of West Kowloon Cultural District Authority (WKCDA), said: “The competition heralds a new phase of the West Kowloon Cultural District development. We are proceeding to a detailed design stage and I am looking forward to working with inspired creative teams on the realisation of our ambitions.”

International bidders must form a joint venture with a Hong Kong-registered consultant.

The deadline for expressions of interest is April 10 after which an international jury will shortlist four to six teams who will be invited to submit schematic designs and models of their concepts. Each will receive a fee of ￡80,000.