Hundreds of people file through Palmeira Square, two by two, every day.

Now it could be turned into a giant Noah's Ark - if architect David Kemp gets his way. The 41-year-old claims the lawns in the middle of the square have the same dimensions as the biblical ship that saved Noah, his wife, their children and the animals from God's Great Flood.

In celebration of this divine coincidence he wants to set up a permanent monument. His ideas include a life-sized laser model through which children in costume could parade, a cross-section model of the hull, a sculpture garden and a Crystal Palace-style glass building.

David said: "Man-made monuments are all hugely odd ideas. The Eiffel Tower and the Pompidou Centre in Paris could be seen as crazy and bold. Brighton has the Pavilion. It would be nice to have something to put Hove more firmly on the map."

He had the idea of comparing the size of Noah's Ark as described in the Bible with local spaces after a sermon the Holland Road Baptist Church. A study of Ordnance Survey maps found the Palmeira Square lawns were almost exactly 300 cubits in length and 50 across, or 140 metres by 22 metres, as stated in the book of Genesis.

David said: "It's an amazing coincidence. There's nowhere else in Brighton and Hove that size." David, of Furze Hill Road, Hove, hopes local children will make animal outfits for an annual march through the monument.

He made a 1/200th scale model of the Ark to take to a meeting of Brighton and Hove Council this week. He said: "It's an idea people warm to when they think about it. Palmeira Square is nice, but it could do with having an injection of life."

St Bartholomew's Church in Brighton is claimed to be the same size as the Ark, but David disputes this. If any work goes ahead, David wants to keep the Floral Clock in the centre of the square, which was unveiled by the Mayor of Hove in 1953.

Some of the shopkeepers in the square liked the idea. Romy Shiner, who works in Video Box, said: "It's an interesting idea, as long as it's in proportion."

Lucy Eltom, manager of Newstop newsagents, said: "It's fascinating to see how the model of the Ark compares to the square. I would love the council to do something to celebrate it."