The pitched-roof building, used by the City of Port Phillip Community Group and the St Kilda Legal Service, is easily missed. At one stage, the corner site was earmarked for a combination of commercial uses and social housing.

However, this project was put on hold, with the Uniting Church, owning and occupying half the site, deciding on a small and modest makeover of the offices in the interim.

"The lifespan for this fit-out was five years, but it could be longer, depending on when the larger project goes ahead," says architect Michael White, director of Freadman White Architects, who collaborated with architect Jesse Newstadt on this project.

The architects were given a relatively small budget of $170,000 to rework the offices, including the reception area, shared by the two not-for-profit organisations. Once the disabled ramp had been provided, together with bathroom facilities, the challenge was to create something both serviceable and pleasurable for the 20 staff using the building.

The issue was also providing two different workspaces within the one shell, as well as creating shared facilities, such as reception area and communal kitchen.

So the first thing to go was the seating in the narrow passage at reception, with two rows of chairs removed in the three-metre-wide passage. The rudimentary pin-board partitions in the large, open-plan space were also ditched, together with the string of electrical cables that shed what little light there was.

They were replaced with a series of plywood partitions, allowing natural light to permeate from the highlight windows on the north and south elevations.

"We used plywood for its resilience, but also because it's off-the-shelf and economical. It could also be easily assembled by two carpenters," White says . "From the start, we wanted to keep this volume as open as possible, for light as well as for communication between staff."

However, given the nature of both organisations, the architects were mindful of designing two different workplaces. The Port Phillip Community Group, on the northern side, required a more open-plan arrangement, with staff interacting regularly on a variety of projects. So while there are unimpeded sight lines between offices, there are also shared offices. In contrast, the St Kilda Legal Service required more enclosed spaces, in keeping with one-on-one consultations.

However, while the configuration of offices differs on both sides of the building, the finishes, including formply desks and plywood shelves and walls, is consistent.

Because the circulation spine for both offices is located on the periphery, the architects were mindful of creating "feather-like-edges" at each corner, with open shelving offering glimpses into office spaces. The communal kitchen and meeting areas have also been "carved" into one corner of the passage used by both organisations. Previously the kitchen was located on the other side of reception, which meant staff had to cross reception and interact with clients waiting to be seen. "The staff work long hours and it's important they have their own time," Newstadt says.

Important to the brief was to include clear sight lines over the reception area and through the public areas, given the nature of the work. "There's a considerable amount of passive surveillance in the design, but it's far from obvious," White says.