diff --git a/CMakeLists.txt b/CMakeLists.txt
index f45b10fc..15f80ea0 100644
--- a/CMakeLists.txt
+++ b/CMakeLists.txt
@@ -55,3 +55,16 @@ if(${Build_Documentation})
     add_subdirectory(doc)
   endif()
 endif()
+
+option(BUILD_DEBIAN_PACKAGE "Build a deb package" OFF)
+if(BUILD_DEBIAN_PACKAGE)
+  if(NOT CMAKE_INSTALL_PREFIX STREQUAL "/usr")
+    message(FATAL_ERROR "CMAKE_INSTALL_PREFIX must be /usr for packaging")
+  endif()
+  SET(CPACK_GENERATOR "DEB")
+  SET(CPACK_PACKAGE_VERSION ${APP4TRIQS_VERSION})
+  SET(CPACK_PACKAGE_CONTACT "https://github.com/TRIQS/app4triqs")
+  EXECUTE_PROCESS(COMMAND dpkg --print-architecture OUTPUT_VARIABLE CMAKE_DEBIAN_PACKAGE_ARCHITECTURE OUTPUT_STRIP_TRAILING_WHITESPACE)
+  SET(CPACK_DEBIAN_PACKAGE_DEPENDS "libc6 (>= 2.23), libgcc1 (>= 1:8), libstdc++6, python, libpython2.7, libopenmpi1.10, libhdf5-10, libgmp10, libfftw3-double3, libibverbs1, libgfortran3, zlib1g, libsz2, libhwloc5, libquadmath0, libaec0, libnuma1, libltdl7, libblas3, liblapack3, python-numpy, python-h5py, python-jinja2, python-mako, python-mpi4py, python-matplotlib, python-scipy, cpp2py (= ${APP4TRIQS_VERSION}), triqs (= ${APP4TRIQS_VERSION})")
+  INCLUDE(CPack)
+endif()