Leo A Daly provided full architectural and engineering services for the seismic upgrade of the 1,000,000-SF Veterans Affairs Hospital in San Diego. We were challenged to strengthen the building with support to meet today’s seismic codes while minimizing costs and disruption to the hospital’s operations.We studied several options, from the addition of interior shear walls to the addition of exterior bracing. The recommended and selected solution included the addition of exterior bracing on the four sides of the cross-shaped five-story tower. The seismic reinforcement was entirely exterior with no interruption to hospital services.