HOUSTON, Aug. 11 /PRNewswire/ -- Wall-Ties & Forms, Inc. (WTF Formwork Systems) and The Tagos Group, LLC (Tagos) have signed a partnership agreement to immediately begin construction on low cost, mass housing across the continent of Africa to assist local governments and private investors in addressing a critical shortage of safe, affordable housing. Wall-Ties' aluminum formwork system provides a poured concrete construction system that guarantees rapid construction of energy efficient, disaster resistant, quality residential and commercial, single and multi-level structures. Wall-Ties and Tagos have committed to train and utilize local, unskilled labor and source local raw materials to be used in the construction process to further contribute to the development of the local economy. "I have traveled Africa extensively and I am acutely aware of the chronic need for quality, affordable housing," said Rodney Ellis, Vice Chairman of Tagos. "Tagos is pleased to partner with a company like Wall-Ties that is so thoroughly committed to bringing quality, affordable and rapidly deployable low cost housing construction to the region using local labor, resources, and raw materials." The Wall-Ties formwork system is unique because it forms all of the concrete in the structure including walls, floor slabs, columns, beams, stairs, window details, balconies and various decorative features in exact accordance with the architect's design. The Wall-Ties system allows for unskilled labor to construct concrete structures at a very rapid pace. The formwork system has been used in the construction of hundreds of thousands of structures including single story, low-rise, and high-rise construction. It has been proven to be very successful in the construction of mass housing worldwide. The formwork system can be erected without the need for hoisting cranes. The largest panel weight is no more than 32 Kg (70 lbs). The panels and other sections are secured and fixed by steel pins and wedge, and formwork ties. The only tool required is a hammer. It is fast, simple, adaptable, and very cost effective making it ideal across much of the African continent. "Wall-Ties has been working in Africa for the past several years and we recognize the significant need for low cost mass housing," said Charles Engelken, President of Wall-Ties. "Tagos has an extensive network of contacts and relationships across the continent of Africa, developed over many years of involvement in the region. We look forward to working with Tagos to strategically focus our combined efforts to deliver an economically sound low cost housing solution to areas in Africa experiencing the highest housing shortages."
