VIDEO: Structure of first 2012 Olympic Village building complete

The construction of the first residential plot has involved 160 workers and a total of seven cranes lifting into place more than 14500 m3 of concrete to form the structural elements of the seven buildings.

Work is now underway on the external cladding of the buildings, allowing work on the internal fit-out of the buildings to begin next year. The external cladding panels for the building are now being lifted into place with the heaviest panels weighing up to 6 tonnes.

The Olympic Village, which is next to the Olympic Park and forms part of the Stratford City development, will accommodate 23000 athletes and officials from over 200 countries during the 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games.

Once complete, about 73% of athletes will be able to reach their respective competition venues in less than 15 minutes, according to the Olympic Delivery Authority (ODA).

After the Games, the Village will leave 2800 new homes in east London across 11 residential plots. Construction work began on site in summer 2008 and the first residential plot, comprising nearly 300 new homes across seven buildings, is now structurally complete.

The 11 residential plots in the Olympic Village are each made up of six to eight buildings built in a rectangular layout around a traditional courtyard area. Along with the structural completion of the first residential plot, construction work is also underway on the remaining 10 residential plots.

Earthworks are also underway on the site of Chobham Academy - a "world-class education campus" with places for 1800 students aged 3-19.