diff --git a/conf/common/build.yml b/conf/common/build.yml
index 650ab99452f6cf99f93ebff970369561ead0aa28..4521d097145c165aa250be382b5688e9b39c98f6 100644
--- a/conf/common/build.yml
+++ b/conf/common/build.yml
@@ -19,6 +19,10 @@ icon:
   # build_cmd: "icon-nwp@%ICON.VERSION%% %SPACK.COMPILER% ^openmpi/amct7nx"
   # In LMU we used the following command to build the appropriate a version of openmpi works with slurm:
   # build_cmd: "icon-nwp@%ICON.VERSION%% %SPACK.COMPILER% ^openmpi+pmi+legacylaunchers schedulers=slurm fabrics=ucx ucx+dc+dm+ib_hw_tm+mlx5_dv+rc+rdmacm+thread_multiple+ud+verbs"
+  # On DKRZ levante:
+  # spack.compiler: "gcc@11.2.0/bcn7mbu"
+  # spack.upstreams: "/sw/spack-levante/"
+  # build_cmd: "icon-nwp@%ICON.VERSION%%gcc@11.2.0 source=dkrz_https ^openmpi@4.1.2%gcc@11.2.0 ^hdf5%gcc@11.2.0+fortran+hl"
   version: master # The latest release at the moment of creating this file was 2.6.5-nwp0
 
 python_environment:
diff --git a/templates/common/build_icon.sh b/templates/common/build_icon.sh
index e8ff67cffc0b9f52224e50679094b7d4d5666ed2..93367c8eab9c02195f2f7fd126f20dfbbf45b1ff 100644
--- a/templates/common/build_icon.sh
+++ b/templates/common/build_icon.sh
@@ -36,7 +36,7 @@ if [ ! -z "$SPACK_BUILD_ICON" ]; then
   spack install --reuse $SPACK_BUILD_ICON
   #TODO: had some problems with spack load when more than one version is available, adding --first to overcome that
   # although in principle we should not install the model if its already installed.
-  spack load --first "icon-nwp@${ICON_VERSION}%${COMPILER}"
+  spack load --first $SPACK_BUILD_ICON
 else
   echo "\%icon.build_cmd\% is not defined. If you want to compile icon with spack, please provide a spack compile instruction string in your build.yml"
 fi