Marinov doesn't have as much real estate know-how as the big developers with their convenient plot ratios, but a quick glance around our skyline shows our buildings won't win any beauty prizes anyway. What Marinov does offer, however, is two decades of experience in knowing what people want. He is the founder and CEO of design collective Planet Time, which has sold more than US$1 billion worth of trendsetting products worldwide, notably fluorescent phones and black-light mobiles. He's also been a restaurant and bar owner, whose possessions included Shek O's Black Sheep and Bamboo Club venues. Marinov has been called everything from a dreamer to a Svengali. "It's just thinking out of the box," he says.

He's also not short of ideas. "The dream is to create a cultural sanctuary with unrivalled leisure, entertainment, retailing and residential facilities," his proposal states. What that translates into is a complex that resembles a huge dragon, composed of several geodesic domes covered in transparent canopies. Also included in the traffic-free complex are theaters, museums, galleries, a 20,000-seat all-weather open-air arena, a 30,000-seat concert venue, shopping malls, restaurants, 3,000 apartments, a two kilometer beach and a towering, 488-meter high "People's Pagoda," containing offices, hotels and retail spaces. As he explains, "Nobody thinks museums will attract big crowds. The key words are arts, cultural and entertainment. We've upped the ante on entertainment."

The Big Gamble

There's the huge matter of cost to consider when building this "Enter The Dragon" project. Marinov claims some of the funding will come through the sale of the 3,000 on-site apartments. The rest, he says, "will come from a planned casino on top of the People's Pagoda." Yes, a casino. But one modeled after Monte Carlo, not Las Vegas. It would enable the city to tap the revenue stream that currently flows to Macau, and soon, Singapore. "To become world class, the casino will allow us to throw money at it," Marinov says. "Once that happens, we won't need a Guggenheim. We can use the money to do what we want. We could create the synergy for the local arts and culture scene instead of relying on somebody else's agenda. The casino cluster will also enable money to go into the local neighborhoods."

No formal proposal has been presented to the Jockey Club, Marinov says, though he does claim to have had a brief conversation with its CEO, Ronald Arculli.

The Details

However outlandish the "Enter The Dragon" concept appears, it contains individual details that are worth exploring. Marinov claims the geodesic structures can be built in half the time, and at 40 percent of the cost, of the three projects currently under perusal. Instead of glass, a giant, inflatable retractable outer cushion made of a transparent material called Texlon would protect the domes. Made in Germany by a company called Foiltec (which Marinov says he is already talking to), it can withstand extreme weather conditions and allows in 15 percent more light than glass. "The glass roof was costing $5 billion-$6 billion," Marinov points out. "With this fabric, it would cost less than $500 million."

If current headlines are anything to go by, his canopy plans will be subjected to close scrutiny. But he's ready for that. "The big dome is what we [at Planet Time] do best. We are the best at illumination and special effects," he says. "The canopy comes alive. The other developers have dead roofs. We use colors and the power of the sun to create a pixel effect that has never been seen before. Think of it as the eighth wonder of the world."

Among Marinov's other suggested features are the world's largest projection screen, creative art villages and a manmade beach with the world's largest dipping pool (complete with imported sand). "We're recreating the best of Southeast Asia, including the whole culinary experience," Marinov says.

The Response

Marinov produces three pages covered with the names of public figures he claims have received, seen or responded to his plans (a working model, written proposal and DVD presentation). Legco member Choy So-yuk is an enthusiastic supporter. "I think it's very interesting," she says. "I like the whole thing except for the residential buildings, which create a wall that would block the residents behind it. I think it's worth considering." She is planning to set up a meeting between Marinov and housing secretary Michael Suen, but admits, "strictly speaking, I am powerless."

Fellow legislator Long-hair Leung Kwok-hung (who says "everything under the rule of Tung Chee-hwa should be stopped and examined with careful detail") also describes the proposal as "quite interesting and creative." But less receptive is architect Paul Zimmerman, convenor of lobby group Designing Hong Kong Harbour, who says: "The key issue is that he supports placing all the cultural venues in West Kowloon and I don't think it's relevant to place them all in that area."

Representatives from Housing, Planning and Lands and the Institute of Surveyors refused comment - or don't recall seeing the proposal. And architect Winson Ng, vice-president of the Hong Kong Institute of Architects, says, "When I met with Donald Tsang last month, he did mention he'd keep the canopy but would consider not keeping the single tender." That is potentially good news for Marinov.

Until a final decision is made, Marinov will continue with his "Enter The Dragon" dream. Content to let someone else run it, he just wants to see it come to fruition. "It will work," he says. "It will be London, Paris, New York, Hong Kong. I've been living here for 20 years and I'd like to see it happen in my lifetime. We've got a dynamic energy but we're missing something. This would create paradise in the heart of the city."

The Contenders

Daniel Marinov speaks out on the other major proposals.

Dynamic Star International: "I was horrified that there was a big white canopy full of holes that looked like it had been shotblasted. You won't see how ugly it is until you are actually looking up at it: 1.7 kilometers long, made up of irregular triangles. There's a minestrone soup of metallic boxes. They've also cut back on the glass. Nobody's ever done anything as ugly as that on the planet."

Sunny Development: "It's made up of 100 giant umbrellas, which just looks downright silly. That they were even invited to tender makes me angry. But they did have a canopy. From what I saw they also have problems with airflow and heat. You put 100 umbrellas together when you don't have enough money. It's definitely not world class, not any kind of class."

World City Culture Park: "They had a clear roof canopy made of acrylic chips. I wanted to talk to them about the glass roof, but the lady there said, 'No more glass. Actually, all around the sides will be open.' Well, rain will come in. What about the middle where there's a big open area in the plaza? She said, 'We'll cover that with PTFE, which is a white translucent.' That's similar to hanging white bedsheets in the air. Around the bedsheets you have these gaping holes. That's how you get around the glass issue. So they've changed the design."

Swire: "It's a total Hong Kong Harbour approach. This is not what the government asked for. It also makes use of their existing projects and tries to get hold of the Kai Tak area in the process."

Canopy has bad feng shui

Norman Foster's canopy has bad feng shui, according to geomancer Eva Koo of Ko's Fortune Telling Ltd. "It's supposed to look like a dragon, but in fact it looks very much like a tadpole," she explains. According to her interpretation of feng shui principles, this is bad because Hong Kong Island is shaped like a frog, and a tadpole situated on the West Kowloon waterfront near the mouth of the frog may prove so appetizing as to be irresistible. Since the West Kowloon Cultural District is intended to become a symbol of Hong Kong, this oversight could affect the fortunes of the whole territory along with the estimated $25 billion project.

It's not all doom and gloom for West Kowloon though. "The project is well situated on the eighth cloud, which should provide good fortune until 2023 because northeast there's a mountain, and southeast there's water. Provided no tadpoles are built, the project should thrive," she says. Her comments seem to support Daniel Marinov's idea. But in addition to modifying canopy plans so it more closely resembles a dragon, Ms Koo has another suggestion to ensure the culture and arts in Hong Kong will continue to thrive: "Since the project is situated on reclaimed land, funding from property and retail may prove less reliable because it would be like throwing money away in salt water."

A casino, with a flow of money that more closely resembles water currents, would create the necessary income to fund the arts, as well as the magnetism to draw crowds, Koo explains.