diff --git a/config/meson.build b/config/meson.build
index b0f8511c05..40c09196c0 100644
--- a/config/meson.build
+++ b/config/meson.build
@@ -70,4 +70,4 @@ dpdk_conf.set('RTE_EAL_ALLOW_INV_SOCKET_ID', get_option('allow_invalid_socket_id
 # values which have defaults which may be overridden
 dpdk_conf.set('RTE_MAX_VFIO_GROUPS', 64)
 
-install_headers('rte_config.h')
+install_headers('rte_config.h', subdir: get_option('include_subdir_arch'))
diff --git a/lib/librte_eal/common/include/arch/x86/meson.build b/lib/librte_eal/common/include/arch/x86/meson.build
index 80b5980c15..5e9c026874 100644
--- a/lib/librte_eal/common/include/arch/x86/meson.build
+++ b/lib/librte_eal/common/include/arch/x86/meson.build
@@ -45,4 +45,5 @@ install_headers(
 	'rte_rtm.h',
 	'rte_rwlock.h',
 	'rte_spinlock.h',
-	'rte_vect.h')
+	'rte_vect.h',
+	subdir: get_option('include_subdir_arch'))
diff --git a/meson.build b/meson.build
index 5cb7705f73..c1cbdfed24 100644
--- a/meson.build
+++ b/meson.build
@@ -72,7 +72,8 @@ subdir('app')
 build_cfg = 'rte_build_config.h'
 configure_file(output: build_cfg,
 		configuration: dpdk_conf,
-		install_dir: get_option('includedir'))
+		install_dir: join_paths(get_option('includedir'),
+				get_option('include_subdir_arch')))
 
 # for static builds, include the drivers as libs, and also any
 # other dependent libs that DPDK needs to link against
@@ -87,5 +88,6 @@ pkg.generate(name: meson.project_name(),
 	version: meson.project_version(),
 	libraries: dpdk_libraries,
 	description: 'The Data Plane Development Kit (DPDK)',
+	subdirs: [get_option('include_subdir_arch'), '.'],
 	extra_cflags: ['-include', 'rte_config.h', '-march=@0@'.format(machine)]
 )
diff --git a/meson_options.txt b/meson_options.txt
index 636226ce8e..fb945db91e 100644
--- a/meson_options.txt
+++ b/meson_options.txt
@@ -7,3 +7,4 @@ option('allow_invalid_socket_id', type: 'boolean', value: false,
 option('enable_kmods', type: 'boolean', value: true, description: 'build kernel modules')
 option('kernel_dir', type: 'string', value: '', description: 'path to the kernel for building kernel modules')
 option('per_library_versions', type: 'boolean', value: true, description: 'true: each lib gets its own version number, false: DPDK version used for each lib')
+option('include_subdir_arch', type: 'string', value: '', description: 'subdirectory where to install arch-dependent headers')