Atwell College

Construction of Atwell Stage 1 commenced on 3 February 2007.[6] Due to very tight timeframes the completion of Atwell Stage 1 was required to be undertaken in two stages in order to open the Kim Beazley Learning Community (KBLC) and the Year 7 Learning Communities for the start of the 2008 school year. This meant that the KBLC and the Year 7 Learning Communities were operational before Stage 1 was completed.[7] On Friday, 27 February 2009, then Education Minister Liz Constable officially opened Atwell College.[8] Stage 1 costed a total of A$37.6 million and catered for 680 mainstream students in Years 7 - 9 and high needs education support students. Stage 1 included a performing arts centre, cafeteria, resource centre, student services centre, gymnasium, administrative block and four learning centres.[9] Atwell College by JCY Architects and Urban Designers received an entry for the Department of Treasury and Finance Building Management and Works Award in July 2009 from the Australian Institute of Architects State Awards.[10]

Construction of Atwell Stage 2 commenced on 6 December 2010.[11] The college introduced a Year 11 cohort in 2011 and then a Year 12 cohort in 2012. Atwell Stage 2 was completed on 1 January 2012 to house the additional students costing a total of A$21 million.[12] In this second stage included another learning centre, renovations to already existing buildings from Stage 1 and a two-level senior learning building equipped with classrooms, materials technology workshops and studios, a lecture theatre and IT infrastructure supporting laptop learning.[13][14] While this newly built two-level senior learning building was originally designed to be used for students in Years 11 and 12, it was later made available to all cohorts. Complications with the site were unstable soils which required the installation of 262 screw piles before construction of Stage 2 could commence.[15]

On 27 March 2017, a fire was reported at 2:45 am in the college's Library and was later found to have been started in the air-conditioning unit above the building.[16] Damage was estimated at over A$1 million, including damage to adjacent buildings such as the Cafeteria and Student Services which suffered damage to internet and phone lines.[17] The fire was believed to have been deliberately lit, with signs of forced entry into the building.[18] The WA Department of Education assisted with recovery. The college had been offered assistance from the wider Perth library community as well.[19]