diff --git a/cmake/catkin_generate_environment.cmake b/cmake/catkin_generate_environment.cmake
index a54e27e44..5fab526be 100644
--- a/cmake/catkin_generate_environment.cmake
+++ b/cmake/catkin_generate_environment.cmake
@@ -14,9 +14,10 @@ function(catkin_generate_environment)
   set(CATKIN_MULTIARCH_LIB_DESTINATION "'${CATKIN_GLOBAL_LIB_DESTINATION}'")
   set(CATKIN_MULTIARCH_PKGCONFIG_DESTINATION "os.path.join('${CATKIN_GLOBAL_LIB_DESTINATION}', 'pkgconfig')")
   if (UNIX)
-    execute_process(COMMAND dpkg-architecture -qDEB_HOST_MULTIARCH
+    execute_process(COMMAND gcc -print-multiarch
                     OUTPUT_VARIABLE CATKIN_MULTIARCH
                     OUTPUT_STRIP_TRAILING_WHITESPACE
+                    ERROR_QUIET
     )
     if (NOT "${CATKIN_MULTIARCH}" STREQUAL "")
       set(CATKIN_MULTIARCH_LIB_DESTINATION "['${CATKIN_GLOBAL_LIB_DESTINATION}', os.path.join('${CATKIN_GLOBAL_LIB_DESTINATION}', '${CATKIN_MULTIARCH}')]")
diff --git a/python/catkin/builder.py b/python/catkin/builder.py
index f55e580a7..6a36c8b07 100644
--- a/python/catkin/builder.py
+++ b/python/catkin/builder.py
@@ -248,10 +248,10 @@ def isolation_print_command(cmd, path=None, add_env=None):
     )
 
 
-def get_multiarch(build_dir):
+def get_multiarch():
     # this function returns the suffix for lib directories on supported systems or an empty string
     out, err = subprocess.Popen(
-        'dpkg-architecture -qDEB_HOST_MULTIARCH',
+        'gcc -print-multiarch',
         stdout=subprocess.PIPE, stderr=subprocess.PIPE, shell=True).communicate()
     return out.strip()