Video Courtesy of TED.

At the tender age of just nine, Bran Ferren went with his parents to see the famed Pantheon in Rome. In that single experience, he began to understand how art, design and beauty can magnify the power of science and engineering. And ever since, he’s been on a quest to discover a modern-day version of the Pantheon that combines beauty with functionality.

In this TED Talk, Ferren — the former president of research and development of Walt Disney Imagineering and the founder of multidisciplinary engineering and design firm Associates & Ferren — discusses how to combine art and engineering. By doing so, he says, we can create for the ages.

Check out the video above and tell us what you think!

Photo Courtesy of: James Duncan Davidson/TED.