Three billionaire brothers in Hong Kong teamed up to build the first life-size replica of Noah’s Ark, which serves as a luxury hotel…possibly to escape the economic tsunami of the current financial crisis.

Moneyquote: “The Kwoks’ version of the ark, which sits on 270,000 square feet of space and was developed in conjunction with five Christian organizations, houses a restaurant, exhibition hall and children’s museum in addition to the Noah’s Resort hotel. Mr. Kwok won’t disclose the cost of the project, which is beached on a small island in Hong Kong’s harbor most reachable via ferry, at the foot of a busy bridge that connects the city to its airport.”

A smaller floating replica of Noah’s ark was previously built in the Netherlands; however, the luxury hotel version is in accordance with specifications prescribed in the Genesis 6 account thanks to the influence of middle brother Thomas Kwok (who is also an evangelical Christian). The original ark was 450 feet long, 75 feet wide and 45 feet high, according to scholars.

The Kwoks face some criticism over the fact that the government subsidized the ark with a grant. The reason? The ark is an “explicitly religious project.”