When the UK won the Olympic bid in 2005, much of the area designated for the Olympic Park consisted of industrial wasteland, with polluted soil, dilapidated buildings and tired infrastructure.

Since then, under the leadership of the Olympic Delivery Authority (ODA), the whole landscape of the lower Lee Valley has been transformed. The building project included:

• The biggest demolition programme in Europe;
• The most ambitious soil clean-up operation ever in the UK;
• The most extensive tunnelling operation in the UK; and
• Leading edge venue designs, breaking new ground for sustainability.

All Olympic venues were designed with legacy in mind and will serve a sporting or community function beyond 2012. The key lessons from the build – which broke new ground in health and safety and sustainability – have been captured in a Learning Legacy resource developed by the Olympic Delivery Authority (ODA).

Read more about the Olympic venues in our background briefing