But that's the incredible journey Nick has undertaken.

His design has seen the historic and well-known Berry property, 1 Pulman Street, just north of the Berry township, converted into an operating medical centre.

Cottage Medical has been shortlisted in the adaptive re-use category of the awards, which are an annual celebration of outstanding practice in the field of heritage.

Mr Powell's design has seen the property, which has a history dating back to the 1850s, converted to provide health consulting rooms for three practitioners and a student's accommodation unit.

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The property is widely known as Wilsons' Store and was in fact the site of Berry's first hospital - the Cottage Hospital 1894-1909 prior to the building of the David Berry Hospital.

Read more of the building's history

He admitted having his work recognised was "exciting".

"It's very gratifying and an honour to be recognised for our work," he said.

"There was certainly some hard work put into it.

"We were invested in the project as much as our clients were.

"They were keen to see the medical practice established but were also dedicated to its heritage and allowed us to take the project as far as we could.

"The project was partly restoration - we restored a lot of the early fabric which was associated with the cottage hospital - things like lattice work, balustrades and even the early shopfront of Wilson's Store."

When the building team were undertaking the work they discovered what was the complete original opening and shop's front window.

"It was an incredible find - it was almost completely open and it was really appropriate for us to reconstruct the window and reinstall it so everyone could see what the early shopfront was like," he said.

"In the end I think we have got good results and good reuse for a heritage building."

But the project wasn't without its challenges.

"It's an old building which wasn't originally designed to be used as a medical centre," Mr Powell said.

"It was a challenge to find a way to put a medical centre in the building without destroying any of its original fabric.

"We had to find ways to use rooms that didn't require gutting or dramatically changing the rooms so they could meet our desired use.

"To start with, it was an old building and it required a huge amount of repair work that wasn't apparent at the beginning of the project."

There was also a requirement to be able to include the many modern day things a medical centre requires - things like internet access for one.

"We had to come up with ways to incorporate modern services," he said.

"It required all new plumbing and wiring for the whole building.

"Now all the repairs and new services should be able to serve the community without substantial alterations for the next 50, 60, 100 years."

He praised the work of southern Sydney builders G&C Waller Builders, saying their input had been fantastic.

"Being shortlisted is also great recognition for the building team," he said.

"They were fantastic and we were so lucky to get them.

"They do a lot of work with Sydney Living Museums and heritage architects. They are incredibly dedicated to heritage conservation and have an incredible knowledge in that field.

"They had a colossal amount of work, with the project taking around 18 months to complete."

The medical centre is now up and running, with Mr Powell saying everyone seems pleased with the final outcome.

Also, importantly, has been the positive feedback from the Berry community.

"One of the most gratifying things was the support from the Berry community over the redevelopment of the building," he said.

"The community was interested in the property and invested in the project and the feedback has been very positive and gratifying.

"It's great to have those values of the medical practice serving the community aligned with heritage values as well.

"The building represents the heritage values of Berry and the Berry community.

"The site of the building is important - as you enter Berry from the north it's the first building you see - it makes the first impression on people visiting the town.

"Hopefully, it makes people feel good and feel good about the town they are coming into."

He said during the restoration the team came across a number of "little treasures".

"We found lots of little items under the floors, many old bottles and things that were also remnants from the Rutledge family who also lived in the building," he said.

"There were even things behind fireplaces."

Some of those items have been placed on display in a special case in the waiting area.

In the ceiling, remnants of shirt boxes from the late 1880s were also discovered.

"They had to be left overs from when the building was Wilson's Store," Mr Powell said.

"They are petty rare items - shirt boxes weren't something that were necessarily kept back then.

"While they weren't fully intact we were able to see what they were and they have been placed in an archive in the ceiling."

Mr Powell is shortlisted in his section with Carr Street, Coogee entered by McGregor Westlake Architecture; Sub Base Platypus entered by Lahznimmo Architects; and The Sydney Retreat entered by Bronwyn Hanna.

Chair of the National Trust Heritage Awards jury, Matthew Devine said fantastic entries were received this year and it was a challenge to determine the shortlisted projects.

"There are a diverse range of projects and initiatives recognised this year, and they represent the full spectrum of heritage and the role it plays in defining and enriching place, telling the stories of our diverse communities and connecting people," he said.

National Trust (NSW) CEO, Debbie Mills thanked all the entrants this year for their "stellar effort in putting forward such a high standard of projects, campaigns and initiatives, publications and exhibitions".

"The past year has presented its difficulties to the sector, with delays to projects and significant challenges for event and exhibition organisers," she said.

"Despite this, the range of projects entered for the National Trust Heritage Awards this year has demonstrated how innovative and dedicated people working throughout the heritage sector are."

The award winners will be announced on Thursday, May 13 at Doltone House in Pyrmont, Sydney.

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