diff --git a/CMakeLists.txt b/CMakeLists.txt
index 6550ab0461d51ce92e02aa8ef7d6c8ddca1da6b7..6447fa65034f6691f1e42dbf2f3ecd9f90fee342 100644
--- a/CMakeLists.txt
+++ b/CMakeLists.txt
@@ -5,6 +5,17 @@ set(CMAKE_MODULE_PATH      ${CMAKE_MODULE_PATH} ${CMAKE_SOURCE_DIR}/cmake)
 set(LIBRARY_OUTPUT_PATH    ${PROJECT_BINARY_DIR}/lib)
 set(EXECUTABLE_OUTPUT_PATH ${PROJECT_BINARY_DIR}/bin)
 
+#------------- set the default installation directory to be the source directory
+
+IF(CMAKE_INSTALL_PREFIX_INITIALIZED_TO_DEFAULT)
+  SET( CMAKE_INSTALL_PREFIX ${CMAKE_SOURCE_DIR} CACHE PATH  
+    "install prefix path  - overwrite with -D CMAKE_INSTALL_PREFIX = ..." 
+    FORCE )
+  MESSAGE(STATUS "CMAKE_INSTALL_PREFIX is ${CMAKE_INSTALL_PREFIX} - overwrite with -D CMAKE_INSTALL_PREFIX" )
+ENDIF(CMAKE_INSTALL_PREFIX_INITIALIZED_TO_DEFAULT)
+
+
+
 #---Options-------------------------------------------------------------------------
 option(DD4HEP_USE_XERCESC "Enable 'Detector Builders' based on XercesC" OFF)
 option(DD4HEP_USE_PYROOT "Enable 'Detector Builders' based on PyROOT" ON)
diff --git a/DDCore/CMakeLists.txt b/DDCore/CMakeLists.txt
index d16d6adf9414c83e68607db2a6480850f5f5dfda..9bb72f0c7d7675bdf17e434b60588357a24d9b4d 100644
--- a/DDCore/CMakeLists.txt
+++ b/DDCore/CMakeLists.txt
@@ -4,6 +4,7 @@ project(DDCore)
 
 include_directories(${CMAKE_CURRENT_SOURCE_DIR}/include ${ROOT_INCLUDE_DIR})
 
+
 file(GLOB sources src/*.cpp src/Evaluator/*.cpp src/XML/*.cpp)
 file(GLOB plugin_sources src/plugins/*.cpp)
 
@@ -28,3 +29,16 @@ target_link_libraries(DD4hepPlugins ${ROOT_LIBRARIES} ${XML_LIBRARIES} DD4hepCor
 dd4hep_generate_rootmap(DD4hepPlugins)
 
 
+
+#--- install target-------------------------------------
+
+install(DIRECTORY include/DD4hep  include/XML
+  DESTINATION include
+  PATTERN ".svn" EXCLUDE )
+
+install(TARGETS DD4hepCore DD4hepPlugins
+  RUNTIME DESTINATION bin
+  LIBRARY DESTINATION lib
+  )
+# to do: add corresponding uninstall...
+#-------------------------------------------------------
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/DDExamples/ILDExDet/CMakeLists.txt b/DDExamples/ILDExDet/CMakeLists.txt
index 6c9c4a38e19f81256f4d094ef444c105a7db97ae..e0e2899b667fca50ae906017348fa594e780e7ac 100644
--- a/DDExamples/ILDExDet/CMakeLists.txt
+++ b/DDExamples/ILDExDet/CMakeLists.txt
@@ -11,6 +11,7 @@ if( NOT LCIO_FOUND ) # downlaod and build LCIO
   set( lcio_download_url SVN_REPOSITORY "svn://svn.freehep.org/lcio/trunk" )
   
   set( lcio_cmake_args
+    "-DLCIO_GENERATE_HEADERS=OFF"
     "-DINSTALL_JAR=OFF"
     "-DBUILD_LCIO_EXAMPLES=OFF"
     "-DBUILD_ROOTDICT=OFF"
@@ -19,25 +20,26 @@ if( NOT LCIO_FOUND ) # downlaod and build LCIO
 
   ExternalProject_Add( LCIO
     ${lcio_download_url}
-    CMAKE_ARGS ${lcio_cmake_args}
-    PREFIX ${DD4hep_SOURCE_DIR}/dependencies
+    CMAKE_ARGS ${lcio_cmake_args} install
+    PREFIX ${DD4hep_BINARY_DIR}/dependencies
     )
 
   MESSAGE( STATUS "===============  Adding LCIO as external project  ====================" ) 
   MESSAGE( STATUS "   to use an existing LCIO installation please specify -D LCIO_DIR=path_to_lcio !! " )
   MESSAGE( STATUS "======================================================================" ) 
   
-  set(LCIO_INCLUDE_DIRS "${DD4hep_SOURCE_DIR}/dependencies/src/LCIO/include" )
+  set(LCIO_INCLUDE_DIRS "${DD4hep_BINARY_DIR}/dependencies/src/LCIO/include" )
   
   set(LCIO_LIBRARIES 
-    "${DD4hep_SOURCE_DIR}/dependencies/src/LCIO/lib/${CMAKE_SHARED_LIBRARY_PREFIX}sio${CMAKE_SHARED_LIBRARY_SUFFIX}"
-    "${DD4hep_SOURCE_DIR}/dependencies/src/LCIO/lib/${CMAKE_SHARED_LIBRARY_PREFIX}lcio${CMAKE_SHARED_LIBRARY_SUFFIX}"
+    "${DD4hep_BINARY_DIR}/dependencies/src/LCIO/lib/${CMAKE_SHARED_LIBRARY_PREFIX}sio${CMAKE_SHARED_LIBRARY_SUFFIX}"
+    "${DD4hep_BINARY_DIR}/dependencies/src/LCIO/lib/${CMAKE_SHARED_LIBRARY_PREFIX}lcio${CMAKE_SHARED_LIBRARY_SUFFIX}"
     )
 
 endif()
 #-------------- lcio -------------------
 
 
+
 include_directories( ${CMAKE_CURRENT_SOURCE_DIR}/include
   ${CMAKE_SOURCE_DIR}/DDCore/include 
   ${ROOT_INCLUDE_DIR}