diff --git a/containers/builder/Dockerfile b/containers/builder/Dockerfile
index 5c1f58d3373cfa687410502273cb910c6c6d1baf..abd3dc77e2676f0a3f1a4b6008791f020c81d14f 100644
--- a/containers/builder/Dockerfile
+++ b/containers/builder/Dockerfile
@@ -1,3 +1,5 @@
+#syntax=docker/dockerfile:1.2
+
 # Builder with Argonne EIC software
 #
 FROM eicweb.phy.anl.gov:4567/containers/image_recipes/debian_spack:snapshot-20210408
@@ -19,11 +21,11 @@ ENV DOCKERFILE_BASE=debian            \
 
 
 ## install ghostview/ghostscript needed by some of the tools
-RUN apt-get -yqq update \
- && apt-get -yqq install --no-install-recommends \
-        ghostscript \
-        gv \
- && rm -rf /var/lib/apt/lists/*
+#RUN apt-get -yqq update \
+# && apt-get -yqq install --no-install-recommends \
+#        ghostscript \
+#        gv \
+# && rm -rf /var/lib/apt/lists/*
 
 ## Setup our environment definition
 COPY spack.yaml /opt/spack-environment/spack.yaml
@@ -39,32 +41,38 @@ COPY np-spack $SPACK_ROOT/np-spack
 
 ## Install the software, no garbage collection at this stage
 ## as this is a raw builder image
-RUN cd /opt/spack-environment \
+RUN \
+    cd /opt/spack-environment \
  && spack env activate . \
  && spack install -j64 \
  && spack clean -a
 
-## Install additional python packages
-RUN cd /opt/spack-environment && spack env activate . \
- && pip install --trusted-host pypi.org \
-                --trusted-host files.pythonhosted.org \
-                --no-cache-dir \
-        ipython matplotlib scipy yapf
-
-# Modifications to the environment that are necessary to run
-# Also make sure we keep the /lib/x86_65-linux-gnu in our PATH
+## extra post-spack steps
+## Including some small fixes:
+##   - Somehow PODIO env isn't automatically set, 
+##   - and Gaudi likes BINARY_TAG to be set
 RUN cd /opt/spack-environment \
+ && echo -n ""                                        \
+ && echo "Grabbing environment info"                  \
  && spack env activate --sh -d . > /etc/profile.d/z10_spack_environment.sh \
- && sed -i "s?LD_LIBRARY_PATH=?&/lib/x86_64-linux-gnu:?" /etc/profile.d/z10_spack_environment.sh
-
-# Add some extra environment variables
-# Somehow PODIO env isn't automatically set, 
-# and Gaudi likes BINARY_TAG to be set
-RUN cd /opt/spack-environment \
- && spack env activate . \
+ && sed -i "s?LD_LIBRARY_PATH=?&/lib/x86_64-linux-gnu:?" /etc/profile.d/z10_spack_environment.sh \
+ && cd /opt/spack-environment                         \
+ && echo -n ""                                        \
+ && echo "Add extra environment variables for Podio and Gaudi" \
+ && spack env activate .                              \
  && export PODIO=`spack find -p podio | grep software | awk '{print $2}'` \
  && echo "export PODIO=${PODIO};" >> /etc/profile.d/z10_spack_environment.sh \
- && echo "export BINARY_TAG=x86_64-linux-gcc9-opt" >> /etc/profile.d/z10_spack_environment.sh
+ && echo "export BINARY_TAG=x86_64-linux-gcc9-opt" >> /etc/profile.d/z10_spack_environment.sh \
+ && cd /opt/spack-environment && spack env activate . \
+ && echo -n ""                                        \
+ && echo "Installing additional python packages"      \
+ && pip install --trusted-host pypi.org               \
+                --trusted-host files.pythonhosted.org \
+                --no-cache-dir                        \
+        ipython matplotlib scipy yapf                 \
+ && echo -n ""                                        \
+ && echo "Executing cmake patch for dd4hep 16.1"      \ 
+ && sed -i "s/FIND_PACKAGE(Python/#&/" /usr/local/cmake/DD4hepBuild.cmake
 
 ## make sure we have the entrypoints setup correctly
 ENTRYPOINT []
diff --git a/gitlab-ci/docker/Makefile b/gitlab-ci/docker/Makefile
index 876327160e5d7ace219bbaa4860030b6cc29692b..d70b8478e1131397ace16da0b0dcd681a32185b3 100644
--- a/gitlab-ci/docker/Makefile
+++ b/gitlab-ci/docker/Makefile
@@ -27,14 +27,14 @@ help: ## This help.
 # ==========================================================================
 #
 build: ## build the image
-	docker build -t $(APP_NAME):$(VERSION) .
+	DOCKER_BUILDKIT=1 docker build -t $(APP_NAME):$(VERSION) .
 build-unstable: ## build the image
-	docker build -t $(APP_NAME):$(VERSION)-unstable .
+	DOCKER_BUILDKIT=1 docker build -t $(APP_NAME):$(VERSION)-unstable .
 
 build-nc: ## Build the container without caching (from scratch)
-	docker build --no-cache -t $(APP_NAME):$(VERSION) .
+	DOCKER_BUILDKIT=1 docker build --no-cache -t $(APP_NAME):$(VERSION) .
 build-unstable-nc: ## Build the container without caching (from scratch)
-	docker build --no-cache -t $(APP_NAME):$(VERSION)-unstable .
+	DOCKER_BUILDKIT=1 docker build --no-cache -t $(APP_NAME):$(VERSION)-unstable .
 
 # ==========================================================================
 #