From humble beginnings to a captain of industry – a visionary’s final gift lives on at Aalto University

Lampén became one of the key figures in Finland’s forest industry in the early 20th century. He headed Ab Tornator in Tainionkoski, Imatra, served as a board professional at Kansallis-Osake-Pankki bank, established a roofing shingle factory in Punkaharju and also served as Finland’s Minister of Defence.

‘Aleksander Lampén’s life shows what talent, determination and perseverance can achieve at their best. In many ways, he was a pioneer who also understood the importance of international experience,’ says Kristiina Kruus, Dean of the Aalto University School of Chemical Engineering.

Together with his wife Lucie, Lampén left their estate as a legacy gift to the Department of Chemical Engineering at Helsinki University of Technology. More than 90 years after Aleksander Lampén’s death, his influence can still be seen at Aalto University.

‘As long as we can support students in their studies and encourage them to gain international experience through scholarships from the Lucie and Alexander Lampén Fund, their legacy will remain alive.’

From top grades to two engineering degrees

Aleksander Lampén was born in Russia in 1879. His parents had left Tampere for Russia to escape the devastating famine years in Finland. Twenty years later, he graduated from the Finnish Real Lyceum in Helsinki as one of its first ten students. His school-leaving certificate was filled with top marks.

At the Polytechnic Institute, Lampén worked towards two degrees simultaneously. In just four years, he completed two diplomas, graduating as an engineer in both chemical engineering and mechanical engineering.

Lampén was described as ‘one of the very best and most talented students ever to have passed through the Polytechnic Institute’.

Lampén understood the value of international experience and travelled first to the United States and then to Germany to deepen his knowledge of chemistry, working in both industry and academia.

After returning to Finland, he became a tireless reformer, researcher and inventor at Ab Tornator, driven by curiosity and an eagerness to experiment. Drawing on knowledge from his international networks, he modernised industrial processes and designed, among other things, Finland’s first acid towers.

‘It was on Lampén’s initiative that Finland began producing sulfuric acid. Without it, the country’s entire pulp industry would have faced serious difficulties, as the First World War had cut off imports of sulfur.’

An inventor and an entrepreneur ahead of his time

As a chemist, Lampén pioneered research into pulp quality. On his initiative, sawmill side streams, including waste battens and slabs, began to be used in the production of sulfite pulp. To make this possible, he developed the “Lampén process” for purifying pulp and built a dedicated device known as the “Lampén apparatus”.

Lampén also had the courage of an entrepreneur. Together with his engineer friend Viktor Sandberg, he established a roofing shingle factory in Punkaharju and took charge of its product development. The factory’s fire-resistant Varmuuspäre and Erikois-Kattopäre roofing shingles, made from planed pine and chemically treated, were exported as far as South Africa. Three of Lampén’s numerous patents were related to products manufactured at the Punkasalmi factories.

In 1914, Lampén was also among the founders of the Finnish Paper Engineers’ Association, today known as Puunjalostusinsinöörit ry, the Finnish Forest Products Engineers’ Association.

A legacy that supports the experts of tomorrow

Aleksander Lampén spent his final years at the Koivikko estate in Punkasalmi with his German-born wife Lucie. The couple took particular pride in the garden surrounding their villa, where they grew a wide variety of plants, including grapevines.

Aleksander Lampén died of bone cancer at the age of 56, leaving no heirs. The fund established under Aleksander and Lucie’s will awards annual scholarships to Aalto University students in bioproducts engineering. In 2025, the fund awarded 34 scholarships, providing valuable support to students. The selection criteria include strong academic performance, Finnish as the student’s native language, and international experience related to their studies.

Aleksander and Lucie Lampén believed that education opened doors to the world. Their legacy gift continues to do just that.

The book Lahjakas Aleks. Lampén – Monipuolisen insinöörin elämä (The Gifted Aleks. Lampén – The Life of a Versatile Engineer), written by Heikki Kähkönen and Jyrki Paaskoski (Otava, 2025), sheds further light on the eventful life of this remarkable figure from Punkaharju.

A donation to Aalto University is an investment in the future. Our constantly changing world needs genuinely innovative solutions to new kinds of challenges. Donations reflect the wishes and values of donors and are of great importance to the university. They support high-quality research, the education of future changemakers and the renewal of society as a whole.

Text: Marjukka Puolakka