Green Building Services

One of our core green team members, Peter Walker-Keleher (far left), moved with his family to Doha, Qatar to provide sustainability consulting for a large-scale development project.

GBS senior sustainability consultant, Peter Walker-Keleher recently transplanted himself and his family to Doha, Qatar to manage and align the implementation of LEED strategies for the Msheireb Heart of Doha development. As an international consultant, Peter maintains a close relationship with our Portland team and will be periodically sharing his stories about living and working in, virtually, a whole new world.

Before my family and I moved to Doha, a friend, who had spent some time at the U.S. Air Force Base in Qatar, called this place, “the surface of the sun.” Fortunately, we arrived after the hottest months of July and August. By September 2^nd, the day we arrived, the city had cooled down to a balmy, humid, 110 degrees. I feel a bit unoriginal commenting on the heat for my first post, but I cannot avoid it. The heat (much like the rain in Portland) shapes life in Doha.

I knew nothing about Qatar 6 months ago and I am learning new things every day about the economy and culture. Due to the large natural gas reserves, Qatar is the wealthiest country in the world per-capita. This also lends to its highest energy use per capita, which is nearly double that of the United States. It is the only country in the world to have no fresh surface water. Interestingly, non-Qataris out-number Qataris 4 to 1. As an American sustainability consultant, it is quite an interesting context to be working in.

One anecdote that paints a picture of my initial relationship with Qatar’s heat occurred on one of my first nights in Doha. After shopping for groceries in the mall, I took my two children to the car to rest. In line with my commitment to sustainability, I desperately hoped to avoid turning on the air conditioner. I lived through summer in Fort Worth, Texas without it, why would I need it now? In no time the heat took over and I relented (for the comfort of my children, of course). I turned the car’s air conditioning on and pondered the craziness of burning gas that was heating up the garage so I could keep cool inside (many people would leave their cars running with AC on while they went shopping).

I learned that before 1947, there was only one air-conditioner in all of Qatar. Observing the culture of energy-use in Qatar and reflecting on personal experience has contributed to motivation behind my work here. In order to be a highly-efficient sustainability consultant, I need to learn more about the strategies of life before air-conditioning and apply this to modern practices. I’m looking forward to continuing my work and journey here. Stay tuned for more updates in the future!