When North Carolina State University in Raleigh adopted its Centennial concept, it planned massive upgrades and new construction embracing cutting edge technologies. N.C. State wanted not only sustainability and flexibility but also consideration of environmental and fiscal responsibilities. The university’s goal was to move into the 21st century by setting a new standard for a mixed-used university property. The vision was to combine lab and office space with college classrooms, living quarters and recreational opportunities. The project would need the most modern design, construction concepts and materials.
Part of the long-term plan included expanding the College of Veterinary Medicine, which would include not only 130,000 square feet of research facilities but also the latest in lab facilities where research teams could investigate infectious diseases and conduct clinical studies and trials.
But a new component was on the planning board as well.
Since the 1998 loss of one of his beloved Golden Retrievers, Nike, local businessman, newspaper publisher and philanthropist Randall Terry had wanted to see a bigger, better facility where the people of Raleigh could bring their animal family members. He wanted the community to have access not only to routine appointments, but also therapies available solely at highly specialized veterinary clinics. His dream hospital would train the next generations of veterinarians and clinicians in the latest technologies in animal care, such as the nation’s first bone marrow transplant program for crucial cancer treatments. It would, in conjunction with the college, provide a much wider array of services for the community.
Terry died in 2004, but his dream for the Terry Companion Animal Center lived on. The R.B. Terry Charitable Foundation donated $20 million and the 2006 North Carolina General Assembly provided additional appropriations for the project. Construction began in 2007 and Kingspan became an integral part of the expansive, cutting-edge project.