An insight into the art of building sustainably for future generations.
20 Years of Sustainable Construction
The name “Jake” is formed from the initials of Johan and Jonny, combined with the first two letters of Kenneth’s first name.
From the left in the picture: Torolf Asplund, Kenneth Asplund, Johan Asplund, Jonny Asplund ja Kaj Asplund.
The beginning
Catching the Innovation Bug
Brothers Johan and Jonny Asplund grew up in Jakobstad with solar panels on the roof — unusual for the early 1980s. Little did they know then that their father Kaj’s passion for innovation would influence them so deeply and become a vital driving force in their own careers. Their cousin Kenneth Asplund was raised with a similar innovative mindset. In his father Torolf’s carpentry shop, Kenneth was able to follow the product development of an automatic lathe that was entirely unique for its time.
Johan trained as a builder and was only 20 years old when he founded his first construction company in 1988. In the mid-1990s, he secured projects within the food industry at Snellman, where he began collaborating with Kenneth, who was also running his own business in the construction sector.
“That period provided us with excellent experience and built a strong foundation for the future. We are especially grateful for the mentorship and lessons we received from our project manager, Sven Åkerlund,” says Johan Asplund.
In 2003, Johan and Jonny founded their joint construction company, and in 2005, it merged with Kenneth’s business to become Jake Rakennus Bygg. Today, 20 years since Jake Rakennus was founded, the three main owners are still fully active and involved in the company’s day-to-day operations. The company’s turnover for 2023 is approaching 20 million euros.
“Kenneth is highly skilled at managing construction projects and anticipating both opportunities and risks, allowing us to react in time. In the construction industry, a tiny detail can have massive consequences. Jonny’s strengths lie in sales, building services, and finance—a valuable combination for turnkey and EPC projects,” says Johan Asplund.
Johan’s extensive field experience is a major asset throughout several stages of the construction process, particularly in project planning, material selection, and strategic planning. With that level of experience comes a sense of security that allows him to think outside the box.
“Looking at where we stand today, it’s clear that the three of us complement each other incredibly well,” says Johan Asplund, Managing Director of Jake Rakennus.
Years 2003–2007
Building a Financial Foundation Through Residential Construction
During its first five years, Jake Rakennus focused on residential construction, primarily building single-family homes and semi-detached houses. The owners avoided major risks, focusing instead on establishing a stable financial foundation for the company. In practice, Johan and Kenneth spent the daytime building on-site, and in the evenings, Johan managed the administration from home. Every cent was accounted for, and the material inventory was stored in various cars and trailers.
“From that era, I vividly remember the wonderful feeling when we sold half of the apartments in Östanpåfjärden, Jakobstad. We had bought the plot using borrowed money to build six semi-detached apartments. It was a million-euro project, which felt massive for us at the time,” says Johan Asplund.
At this stage, Jonny Asplund was not yet active in the company. Having graduated as an HVAC engineer, he worked at Scancool (acquired by Oilon in 2011) in Kokkola until the end of 2014, when he joined Jake Rakennus full-time.
In 2004, André Mård started working summer jobs and evening shifts at Jake Rakennus. From 2005 onward, Johan’s sons, Ronnie Asplund and Tobias Asplund, joined the company as helpers, handling post-construction cleaning during summer holidays and evenings. Today, all three work at Jake Rakennus and are now co-owners of the company.
Years 2008 – 2013
Setting Sights and Structures Higher
Following the first five years, Jake Rakennus experienced a significant boost. In 2008, the company formulated its first proper 5-year strategy, guided by their first external board member and mentor, Asko Lamminen. The company grew rapidly and expanded into developer-driven construction, despite the complex bureaucracy involved. André Mård took on the challenge of mastering the legal aspects and documentation required. Towards the end of his civil engineering studies in 2011, André wrote his thesis on developer-driven residential construction, creating a comprehensive manual for preparing RS documentation prior to construction. This Swedish-language educational material is still used throughout Finland.
“A family buys an apartment based entirely on blueprints and then pays in installments as the construction progresses. If the RS documentation isn’t handled correctly and the construction company fails to finish the project, it represents a massive financial risk for the buyers. That’s why we chose to specialize in proper developer-driven compliance, even though we were still a small company. We were fully capable of managing the RS process and the production safely and transparently for our buyers,” says Jonny Asplund.
It wasn’t just the company’s ambitions that reached new heights during this period—the buildings themselves grew significantly taller. Backed by board member Asko Lamminen and the company’s other mentors, the co-owners ventured into taking larger, calculated risks. A major milestone from this era was the four-story residential building in Mäntykangas, Kokkola, completed in 2011.
“In 2006, I contacted Matti Leskelä, who was the sales manager for OP Financial Group’s real estate brokerage in Kokkola. He believed in us and our ideas, serving as a vital support and an excellent sales partner for us during our years of residential construction in Kokkola,” says Johan Asplund.
Another key mentor was building contractor Pekka Kaipainen, from whom Jake Rakennus purchased the Mäntykangas plot in 2009. Boasting extensive experience in the construction industry, Pekka has been retained by Jake Rakennus as an external consultant ever since.
“Pekka Kaipainen has given us a wealth of invaluable advice over the years and supported us through both highs and lows. We value his contribution immensely,” says Johan Asplund.
Years 2014 – 2018
Establishing Ourselves as Industrial Innovators
A major milestone during this period was MyNest—a digital service logbook for residential construction launched by Jake Rakennus in 2013. Developed with the support of their tech-savvy board member Asko Lamminen, it was a highly innovative solution for its time. MyNest received mixed reactions in the industry; while mostly positive, the company did weather a few skeptical remarks from traditionalists.
“MyNest is still actively used in our construction projects and by external parties. While the service might not have achieved the massive industry-wide breakthrough we initially hoped for, it taught us the immense value of staying one step ahead. MyNest was a major reason why Jake Rakennus began to be recognized as an innovator in the construction sector,” says Jonny Asplund.
With ten years of experience under its belt, Jake Rakennus felt confident enough to pivot from residential builds to light industry and public sector projects. The transition was natural, given the owners’ previous background with food industry facilities. By early 2015, Jonny Asplund was working operatively in the company, bringing extensive expertise in HVAC and refrigeration solutions tailored to the food industry. This positioned Jake Rakennus perfectly to secure a million-euro project in Seinäjoki in 2018: building brand-new facilities for the food development company Foodwest.
“Ramboll called us out of the blue to ask if we would take on the contract. They had recognized that we possessed the combined construction and building services expertise required to execute this type of turnkey, total responsibility project. Winning that contract truly proved to us that we were on the right track,” notes Jonny Asplund.
Because the project was based in Seinäjoki, Jake Rakennus expanded its geographical footprint, bringing its trusted network of subcontractors well outside the familiar borders of Ostrobothnia. Johan Asplund smiles at the memory.
“It was certainly out of our comfort zone, and out of the client’s comfort zone in Seinäjoki, too. At our first meeting, they openly sighed at our very Swedish-sounding Ostrobothnian surnames: Asplund, Mård, Björkskog, and Granholm. But the final result was exceptional, and that project gave other companies in the food industry the confidence to hire us for their new builds,” he says.
In 2018, Jake Rakennus made a conscious decision to clearly profile itself as the environmentally conscious construction company it had already organically become. The company formulated its clear vision: to become a Nordic pioneer in sustainable construction across the industrial, public, and residential sectors. This vision and strategy were developed in collaboration with the digital marketing agency Genero, which launched Jake Rakennus’s updated website that same year.
“In our strategic work, Tom Niemi from Kokkola has served as a valuable mentor and board consultant since 2019. He brings deep expertise from the mining and metallurgy industries, which has been highly beneficial to us. Without the mentors we’ve had over the years, we would never have made it this far,” says Johan Asplund.
Years 2019–2023
Pioneers in Sustainable Construction
Jake Rakennus was an early adopter of mass timber and engineered wood, and Johan Asplund remembers when they first proposed utilizing a CLT (Cross-Laminated Timber) element entrance for a freight logistics warehouse they were contracted to build for Adolf Lahti Oy in Kokkola.
“It was a bit nerve-wracking to present the idea, but when the CEO enthusiastically replied, ‘Wow, interesting!’, it confirmed that our thinking was right. Our focus on sustainable materials and energy-efficient building services solutions has brought us many highly interesting projects over the past few years,” says Johan Asplund.
Among these is Fresh Servant in Pedersöre, who hired Jake Rakennus in 2021 to expand their salad production facility from 8,000 to 15,000 square meters. The project was executed as a turnkey (KVR) contract, meaning Jake Rakennus took full responsibility for the engineering, construction, and building services. The total investment value was around 25 million euros, with construction costs accounting for roughly a third. This showcases the scale of industrial projects Jake Rakennus routinely delivers today.
In 2019, the next generation officially stepped into ownership when Johan Asplund’s sons, Ronnie and Tobias, became co-owners. A few years later, the ownership base was expanded further to include André Mård and Jens Mård.
“We are proud that the younger generation wants to commit as co-owners; it allows the company to continue growing. With younger partners on board, I also hope we can attract new talent so we can maintain and expand our broad knowledge base. We are taking on increasingly large projects and will need more project managers and skilled builders,” says Johan Asplund.
Ronnie Asplund is a professional builder who has worked full-time at Jake Rakennus since 2012. He became a co-owner in 2019 and has been studying for his civil engineering degree alongside his work since autumn 2022.
Tobias Asplund is an electrical/automation assembler and automation engineer. He became a partner in 2019 and stepped into an operative role in 2021 as the Regional Manager for Vaasa.uepäällikkö.
André Mård began working at Jake Rakennus while studying to be a builder. He accepted a permanent role in 2011 upon graduating as a civil engineer and has worked as a Site Manager ever since. André became a co-owner in 2022.
Jens Mård joined Jake Rakennus in 2017 as a cost estimator in sales. He transitioned to a permanent role in 2018 after completing his civil engineering studies and became a Site Manager in 2020. Jens became a co-owner in 2022.
Jake Today
Specialists in Low-Carbon Construction
While Jake Rakennus still builds residential properties—primarily timber-framed apartment buildings—the vast majority of the company’s revenue now comes from commercial, industrial, and public contracts across Ostrobothnia and Central Ostrobothnia. Jake Rakennus has specialized in constructing facilities with low lifecycle costs for the industrial and public sectors. Many projects are executed as turnkey EPC (Engineering, Procurement, and Construction) contracts, where Jake Rakennus manages everything from design and procurement to final construction and building services.
There is a distinct surge in demand for low-carbon construction in both industrial and public sectors. Low-carbon building is a core pillar of sustainable development and the green transition. By reducing carbon emissions and minimizing negative environmental impacts, the construction sector plays a massive role in shrinking humanity’s total climate footprint.
Source: Ympäristöministeriön verkkosivut: https://ym.fi/vahahiilinen-rakentaminen
“Construction and buildings account for roughly one-third of Finland’s greenhouse gas emissions. For Finland to meet its national and international climate targets, emissions from the built environment must decrease. Monitoring energy consumption during a building’s operational life is no longer enough; we must account for the carbon footprint across the building’s entire lifecycle.”
What is Low-Carbon Construction?
Low-carbon construction focuses on minimizing carbon dioxide emissions and environmental impacts during both the physical building process and the entire operational lifetime of the building. The ultimate goal is to deliver assets that are energy-efficient, resource-lean, and active contributors to mitigating climate change.
How Do We Build Low-Carbon Structures?
Material Selection
Using recycled, renewable, and low-carbon alternatives—such as timber and mass wood instead of traditional concrete and steel. Standard concrete and steel production generates massive amounts of CO2 during manufacturing.
Energy Efficiency
Designing structures to minimize energy demands by using high-grade insulation, energy-efficient windows and doors, passive solar heating, and natural ventilation systems.
Renewables Integration
Incorporating clean energy systems such as solar arrays, wind power, or geothermal heating to supply the facility with sustainable energy.
Waste Mitigation
Reducing on-site waste by utilizing prefabricated materials and modular components, alongside rigorous recycling and material reuse practices.
Strategic Placement
Optimizing the building’s location to reduce logistics and transport emissions while ensuring easy access to public transit networks.
Smart Water Management
Implementing water-saving technologies, rainwater harvesting, and greywater recycling systems to decrease overall consumption.
Lifecycle Assessment (LCA)
Utilizing comprehensive lifecycle assessments to evaluate a building’s environmental impact from material extraction and construction through to operations and eventual decommissioning.
Jake in the Future
The Next Step: Green Concrete
To maintain its position as a pioneer in sustainable construction, Jake Rakennus continuously monitors emerging materials and technologies. Kenneth Asplund is currently spearheading research into integrating green concrete into upcoming projects.
“Traditional concrete relies heavily on cement, and cement manufacturing is a massive source of global carbon emissions. By replacing a portion of the cement with blast-furnace slag or fly ash, the carbon emissions of the concrete can be effectively cut in half,” Kenneth Asplund explains.
Green concrete meets the exact same strict performance criteria as traditional concrete regarding durability, strength, lifecycle, and pourability.
“The curing time is affected because green concrete doesn’t generate heat and energy the same way pure cement does, so we must adjust our schedules accordingly. But we are absolutely bringing green concrete into Jake Rakennus’s standard practices—it is a low-carbon material that will heavily reduce a building’s overall climate impact,” says Kenneth.
Jake in a Nutshell:
- Founded: 2003 by Johan and Jonny Asplund. Kenneth Asplund became a partner in 2005.
- Team: 7 co-owners, 22 in-house employees, and an extensive network of specialized subcontractors.
- Turnover: Approximately €16 million in 2022, reaching nearly €20 million in 2023.
- Operating Area: Primarily between Kokkola and Kristinestad.
- Project Split: 80% industrial/commercial/public contracting, 20% residential development.
- Offices: Headquartered at Barrvägen 3 in Jakobstad, with a regional office at Mjölnaregatan 21 (Klemetsö) in Vaasa.
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