Within the scope of the “commemoration programs” organized by the Chamber of Architects since 2006, the memory of architects who contributed to the architectural culture in Turkey and are no longer with us today is kept alive. Throughout the program period, events are organized about the architects and their works, as determined by the selection committee of the National Architecture Awards. Following Architect Kemalettin Bey, Seyfi Arkan, Zeki Sayar, Haluk Baysal-Melih Birsel, Ernst A. Egli, Maruf Önal, Nezih Eldem and Vedat Dalokay, the 2022-2024 period will be organized in the name of Leman Tomsu.
Together with her high school friend Münevver Belen, Leman Tomsu was one of the first two female students to be admitted to the Academy’s architecture department, and together with Belen, Tomsu became Turkey’s first female architect in 1934. In a male-dominated professional environment where women did not yet have a voice, Tomsu struggled hard, and with her diligence and productivity, she managed to make a place for herself both in architectural competitions and in the field of practice. Between 1938 and 1954, Tomsu won a total of 14 awards, some of which were first prizes, and completed the application projects of 17 different buildings. Tomsu was also one of the first female academics to teach architecture at Istanbul Technical University for 40 years. Despite her strong identity, which can be seen as a role model in the modernization process of our country, and her pioneering role in the field of architecture, Leman Tomsu’s contribution to Turkish architecture, which has not been sufficiently covered in architectural historiography and has not been remembered as much as it deserves, is planned to be brought to the agenda with various publications and events over the next two years within the framework of the Chamber of Architects Commemoration Program.
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