According to the Olympic Delivery Authority (ODA), 2,275 people, a fifth of them local residents, are currently working on the construction of the Olympic Park.
One of their tasks is the demolition of more than 220 buildings across the site, of which 166 have already disappeared.
The 'Big Five'
London´s Olympic Park will include five large venues, already known as “the Big Five”: the Olympic Stadium, the London Aquatics Centre, the VeloPark, the International Broadcast Centre and the Olympics Village.
The Olympic stadium will be the focus of the games, given that here the ceremonies and the main competitions will take place.
The stadium will have a capacity of 80,000 seats, of which 55,000 will be removed after the games.
The design of the stadium resembles a sunken bowl, which will incorporate a roof covering two-thirds of the spectators and a fabric curtain that will wrap around the whole structure.
Although its estimated cost was £280 million, the latest figures given in November 2007 show an amount totaling £496 million, according to Reuters.
The figure includes inflation, VAT, earthworks and the cost of the conversion after the games.
The London Aquatics Centre, located in the south east corner of the Park, will include two 50m pools and a diving pool.
The venue, with a capacity of 17,500 seats, will host swimming, synchronized swimming, diving, water-polo and modern pentathlon finals.
The Olympic village, with beds for around 17,000 athletes, and the International Broadcast Centre, located in the North West, are the last two large venues of the Olympic site.
After the Games
After the Olympics, the stadium will be modified to host 25,000 seats, and both elite athletes and locals will use its facilities.
Clubs, schools and local residents will be able to swim in the pools of the Aquatic centre, which will keep only 2,500 of its seats.
According to the Olympic Delivery Authority, the Olympic Village will host 4,000 houses after 2012, including tenures, shared equity and housing for sale.
Transport
The Mayor of London has launched a transport plan that includes extending the Docklands Light Railway (DLR) and the East London Line, as well as a 45% increase in the capacity of the Jubilee Line.
There will also be improvements in the Stratford Regional Station, and a shuttle Javelin service will connect St Pancreas with the Olympic Park.
