UC San Diego Extended Studies – Voice Evacuation Fire Alarm & Life Safety System

La Jolla, California

Facility

UC San Diego Division of Extended Studies

Building

General Contractor

System Installed

Simplex Voice Evacuation Fire Alarm System

Facility Type

Higher education academic and training facility

Project Overview

Benson Electric installed a Simplex voice evacuation fire alarm and life safety system for the UC San Diego Division of Extended Studies building located in La Jolla, California. The building serves as the headquarters for UC San Diego’s Extended Studies program, supporting workforce development, professional education programs, and research collaboration spaces. The facility provides classrooms, training areas, and administrative offices designed to support students, educators, and industry partners. Because the building accommodates classrooms and collaborative spaces used by students and faculty, reliable fire alarm and life safety infrastructure is critical to ensuring occupant safety.

Scope of Work

Benson Electric performed installation and integration of the facility’s voice evacuation fire alarm system including:

  • Installation of Simplex addressable fire alarm control systems
  • Installation of voice evacuation speaker notification systems
  • Installation of smoke detection devices throughout classrooms and building spaces
  • Installation of manual pull stations and initiating devices
  • Installation of fire alarm wiring infrastructure
  • Installation of voice evacuation amplifier and speaker circuits
  • System programming, testing, and commissioning

Voice Evacuation Life Safety Systems

Voice evacuation systems are commonly used in large educational and public buildings where clear audible instructions may be required during emergency situations.

Unlike traditional horn and strobe systems, voice evacuation systems allow building occupants to receive clear verbal instructions that help guide evacuation procedures and improve emergency response.

The Simplex voice evacuation system installed at the UC San Diego Extended Studies facility provides building-wide detection and occupant notification designed to support safe evacuation during emergency events.

Facility Details

The UC San Diego Division of Extended Studies building serves as a hub for professional education programs, workforce development initiatives, and academic collaboration opportunities within the UC San Diego community.

The facility includes classrooms, training spaces, and administrative offices that support continuing education programs and partnerships between the university and industry.

Protecting a Leading Education + Health Hub

Benson Electric installed a complete Simplex fire alarm and life safety system for the new UCSD Extended Studies & Health Sciences building in La Jolla. This nine-story, 114,000 sq. ft. academic facility serves as the headquarters for UC San Diego’s Division of Extended Studies and supports educational programs, administrative offices, and lifelong learning initiatives.

Infrastructure Installed

  • Simplex addressable fire alarm control panel
  • Voice evacuation speaker systems
  • Smoke detection devices
  • Manual pull stations
  • Fire alarm wiring infrastructure
  • System programming and commissioning

Project Highlights

  • Voice evacuation fire alarm system installation for a UC San Diego facility
  • Simplex life safety system installation for a higher education building
  • Fire alarm infrastructure supporting classrooms and learning spaces
  • Collaboration with Swinerton as the project’s general contractor

Designed for Academic and Administrative Safety

This modern facility houses:

  • International education programs
  • Professional development courses
  • English as a Second Language (ESL) classes
  • Osher Lifelong Learning Institute
  • UCSD Health Sciences admin offices

We delivered a reliable, code-compliant fire alarm system tailored to the diverse needs of students, staff, and visitors.

Tenant Improvement Delivered: Bird Rock Coffee Roasters

In addition to the main building system, Benson Electric installed a custom tenant improvement (TI) fire alarm system for Bird Rock Coffee Roasters' "The Village" location inside the facility.

This café required a specialized solution for:

Flexibility to Manage Complex Projects

This project highlights our ability to manage both large-scale institutional installations and detailed tenant improvements within the same structure. Benson Electric delivers scalable, reliable life safety systems that adapt to any environment.

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