We are located in Nosara, Costa Rica. Stop by or send a message, we would love to hear your ideas!

Antonio Nevada Martinez, leed ap | bd+c
+1 904-627-7349
antonio@dwela.co

Crystal stafford, m.p.h.
director of social impact
info@dwela.co

We are Dwela, a design build collaborative focused on regenerative landscaping and passive techniques to connect the built environment with the natural one, harmoniously. Each project begins with an analysis of the site and its inhabitants, and the design process aims to create a dwelling which pleases both. We have certifications in permaculture design, solar panel installation, solar powered water systems, scuba diving, c.p.r. and ocean rescue, and complex humanitarian emergencies.

Antonio began architecture in North carolina by designing large hotels on the east coast, then high end restaurants before moving to congo to build hospitals and become a water and sanitation specialist. Before that he served in the u.s. Air force as an f-16 mechanic, and was honorably discharged. He recently received the David R. Ravin School of Architecture’s Distinguished Alumni award for his achievements successful career as a designer, NGO leader, and humanitarian.

Crystal Stafford is a humanitarian storyteller, strategist, and social impact leader with decades of experience working in conflict settings and with displaced communities in the Democratic Republic of Congo, South Sudan, Ukraine, and beyond. With a background in public health and complex humanitarian emergencies, she has documented the human impact of war, displacement, and fragile systems through photography, film, writing, and communications, while supporting programs focused on health, gender-based violence, water access, education, and recovery. Today, as Director of Social Impact for Dwela, Crystal helps guide the company’s mission beyond architecture and design, connecting conscious habitats with regenerative development, community resilience, and meaningful social transformation.

Our projects are unique to one another because of this open process. Rather than limiting the client to choosing a design from “our style,” we guide our clients in a collaborative search for the ideal spaces in the given setting.

We consider the surrounding ecological, economical, and social elements from the beginning of the process, which also adds to the uniqueness of our works. Having gained much of our experience as humanitarian workers in africa and the americas (and travelling the world while doing so), the dwela team approaches all projects prioritizing people’s basic needs. It also taught us how to operate in a variety of conditions and cultures, and to see projects through to the end no matter how daunting the obstacles.