The Olympic Delivery Authority (ODA) has released new photos of the Handball Arena as it nears completion.

The copper roof of the venue is now completed and more than half of its 6,500 multi-coloured seats in place.

The venue, which is on track to complete in the spring, has been wrapped in 3,000 square metres of copper with a high recycled content.

Latest pictures of the venue also highlight the progress made on the sprung wooden court surface, while a new webcam inside the Arena gives regular updates on how the venue is taking shape.

The remaining 3,000 retractable lower tier seats will be installed once the court is completed next month.

The Arena was designed and built with sustainability as a priority.

The rooftop light pipes provide greater illumination than similar sized conventional lights, achieving annual energy savings of up to 40 per cent.

Water usage is also saved by 40 per cent through a rain harvesting system that feeds into toilets and other non-potable systems.

The Handball Arena will be used as a multi-purpose community centre after the games

Olympic Delivery Authority chairman, John Armitt, said: “The Handball Arena is one of the most compact on the Olympic Park, with legacy and sustainability very much integrated into the design process.

“Progress is moving ahead at an impressive rate, with over half of the seats already in place and work underway on installing the sprung wooden floor.”

Olympic sports to be hosted at the Arena include Men’s and Women’s preliminary stages and the Women’s quarter finals for the Handball competition, and the Fencing discipline of the Modern Pentathlon.

During the Paralympics, the Arena will host Goalball.

After the Games, the Arena will be used as a flexible space capable of seating up to 7,500 spectators for a wide variety of events, from international competition to community sports, such as basketball, handball, badminton and boxing.

A health and fitness club with changing facilities and a café for local community use are also planned.

The venue is expected to be ready in spring this year

City.Mobi

Also in Europe today, City.Mobi is celebrating the success of its new guide to London. 

City.Mobi offers the most comprehensive mobile travel guides available, with over 800 cities in 200 countries listed. Each is developed by the City.Mobi team to combine into a single global travel directory.

However, each city retains its own mobile identity via a dedicated domain. Already on offer are Brussels.Mobi, Paris.Mobi, Sanfrancisco.Mobi and Sydney.Mobi.

London.Mobi is the latest in this illustrious line up, offering click to call functionality – which means no scribbling down telephone numbers.

Most entries are also linked to websites where users can quickly access more detailed information if needed.

Other key features include information on accommodation, restaurants, attractions, entertainment, nightlife, shopping, and transport.

City.Mobi guides include user reviews and traveller utilities such as a translation guide, currency converter, news and local weather guide.