Ada Karmi-Melamede is one of the most accomplished architects in the world, yet her work remains largely unrecognized beyond architectural circles. In the 1970s, she moved to New York from Israel, following her husband’s rising career, and spent the next 15 years balancing academia, large-scale public projects, and motherhood. While teaching at Columbia University’s Graduate School of Architecture, she contributed to major urban initiatives, including a master plan for Con Edison, a study for mixed-use development along the proposed Second Avenue Subway, and a 1978 housing competition on Roosevelt Island—all while raising three young children.
But in the early 1980s, after being denied tenure at Columbia, Ada made a bold decision to leave New York and her family for the opportunity of a lifetime – the design of the new Supreme Court of Israel. While her career flourished, personal sacrifices mounted as she remained far from her family. Ada’s work gave physical form to some of Israel’s highest democratic ideals, shaping landmarks such as the Supreme Court Building, The Open University, the Israel Institute for Democracy, and Ben Gurion University, among many other civic institutions. Ada – My Mother the Architect, directed by Ada’s daughter, Yael Melamede, explores the profound tension between career and motherhood and a unique mother-daughter bond.
SPECIAL GUESTS
Introduction by Anthony J. Abbate, Professor, FAU School of Architecture
A virtual conversation with Yael Melamede follows the film
Yael Melamede (Director) –Yael Melamede co-founded the independent production company SALTY Features over two decades ago. Its most recent films include: “Floyd Abrams: Speaking Freely,” a documentary on free speech through the story of First Amendment lawyer Floyd Abrams; and “Pay or Die,” a documentary examining the insulin crisis in America through the lens of Type 1 diabetes. Other credits include “(Dis)Honesty, The Truth About Lies,” the Academy Award-winning “Inocente,” Emmy-winning “When I Walk,” and Academy Award-nominated “My Architect,” as well as projects like the six-part series “Why We Hate”. Yael was trained as an architect. She serves on the Board of UnionDocs and Living City Project and is also a member of the DPA and the Academy of Motion Pictures Arts & Sciences.
