The Village will have 11 blocks, which are all roughly the same size as a football pitch. Each block is made up of 6–8 buildings built in a rectangular layout around a traditional courtyard space.
Work started on site last summer and there has been huge progress on site over the past year. More than 4,000 concrete piles have been driven 20m into the ground to form the foundations of the Village blocks. Work is also well underway to install new electricity, gas, water, drainage and heating services for the new housing units.
During the London 2012 Games the Village will comprise residential apartments for around 17,000 athletes and officials. Along with this accommodation, there will be shops, restaurants, medical, media and leisure facilities, and large areas of open space.
After the Games there will be 2,818 new homes, including 1,379 ‘affordable homes’. There will also be new roads and bridges connecting the Village to the surrounding area and new education and healthcare facilities.