diff --git a/etc/bashrc b/etc/bashrc
index b2c33f3da0f15bfc1359d5f07778d75f3cf3be55..1417c75b4dc49f02edd5763715efd49221641272 100644
--- a/etc/bashrc
+++ b/etc/bashrc
@@ -108,16 +108,24 @@ then
 fi
 
 
-# Location of site/user files
-# ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
+# Location of installation
+# ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
 export WM_PROJECT_INST_DIR=$FOAM_INST_DIR
 export WM_PROJECT_DIR=$WM_PROJECT_INST_DIR/$WM_PROJECT-$WM_PROJECT_VERSION
-export WM_PROJECT_USER_DIR=$HOME/$WM_PROJECT/$USER-$WM_PROJECT_VERSION
 
 # Location of third-party software
 # ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
 export WM_THIRD_PARTY_DIR=$WM_PROJECT_INST_DIR/ThirdParty-$WM_PROJECT_VERSION
 
+# Location of site-specific templates etc
+# ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
+# unset is equivalent to $WM_PROJECT_INST_DIR/site
+unset WM_PROJECT_SITE
+
+# Location of user files
+# ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
+export WM_PROJECT_USER_DIR=$HOME/$WM_PROJECT/$USER-$WM_PROJECT_VERSION
+
 
 # Source files, possibly with some verbosity
 _foamSource()
diff --git a/etc/cshrc b/etc/cshrc
index 55d1e20aeba383ecedbc543dfd01fb9ac0240bc4..78ad4895a885eae326a7419f07db01833eaa288f 100644
--- a/etc/cshrc
+++ b/etc/cshrc
@@ -103,16 +103,25 @@ setenv FOAM_SIGFPE
 # NB: the WM_PROJECT_INST_DIR might not be identical between versions
 set foamOldDirs="$FOAM_INST_DIR $HOME/$WM_PROJECT/$LOGNAME"
 
-# Location of site/user files
-# ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
+
+# Location of installation
+# ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
 setenv WM_PROJECT_INST_DIR $FOAM_INST_DIR
 setenv WM_PROJECT_DIR $WM_PROJECT_INST_DIR/$WM_PROJECT-$WM_PROJECT_VERSION
-setenv WM_PROJECT_USER_DIR $HOME/$WM_PROJECT/$LOGNAME-$WM_PROJECT_VERSION
 
 # Location of third-party software
 # ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
 setenv WM_THIRD_PARTY_DIR $WM_PROJECT_INST_DIR/ThirdParty-$WM_PROJECT_VERSION
 
+# Location of site-specific templates etc
+# ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
+# unset is equivalent to $WM_PROJECT_INST_DIR/site
+unsetenv WM_PROJECT_SITE
+
+# Location of user files
+# ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
+setenv WM_PROJECT_USER_DIR $HOME/$WM_PROJECT/$LOGNAME-$WM_PROJECT_VERSION
+
 
 # Source files, possibly with some verbosity
 alias _foamSource 'if ($?FOAM_VERBOSE && $?prompt) echo "Sourcing: \!*"; if (\!* != "") source \!*'
diff --git a/etc/settings.csh b/etc/settings.csh
index ae4da934d9efd4aaf8f653b1d608a4b85911e5af..6a0d8e50c29bc14d0c553c366206829725048c09 100644
--- a/etc/settings.csh
+++ b/etc/settings.csh
@@ -148,13 +148,15 @@ setenv FOAM_LIBBIN $WM_PROJECT_DIR/platforms/$WM_OPTIONS/lib
 # external (ThirdParty) libraries
 setenv FOAM_EXT_LIBBIN $WM_THIRD_PARTY_DIR/platforms/$WM_OPTIONS/lib
 
-# default location of site-specific templates etc
-# setenv WM_PROJECT_SITE $WM_PROJECT_INST_DIR/site
-
 # shared site executables/libraries
 # similar naming convention as ~OpenFOAM expansion
-setenv FOAM_SITE_APPBIN $WM_PROJECT_INST_DIR/site/$WM_PROJECT_VERSION/platforms/$WM_OPTIONS/bin
-setenv FOAM_SITE_LIBBIN $WM_PROJECT_INST_DIR/site/$WM_PROJECT_VERSION/platforms/$WM_OPTIONS/lib
+if ( $?WM_PROJECT_SITE ) then
+    setenv FOAM_SITE_APPBIN $WM_PROJECT_SITE/$WM_PROJECT_VERSION/platforms/$WM_OPTIONS/bin
+    setenv FOAM_SITE_LIBBIN $WM_PROJECT_SITE/$WM_PROJECT_VERSION/platforms/$WM_OPTIONS/lib
+else
+    setenv FOAM_SITE_APPBIN $WM_PROJECT_INST_DIR/site/$WM_PROJECT_VERSION/platforms/$WM_OPTIONS/bin
+    setenv FOAM_SITE_LIBBIN $WM_PROJECT_INST_DIR/site/$WM_PROJECT_VERSION/platforms/$WM_OPTIONS/lib
+endif
 
 # user executables/libraries
 setenv FOAM_USER_APPBIN $WM_PROJECT_USER_DIR/platforms/$WM_OPTIONS/bin
diff --git a/etc/settings.sh b/etc/settings.sh
index 17c8c091ee57a187f7c2bc9a59e74a1ddb3085eb..453695fe8ca4e59b6bf163e8b470322a895f2a58 100644
--- a/etc/settings.sh
+++ b/etc/settings.sh
@@ -169,13 +169,16 @@ export FOAM_LIBBIN=$WM_PROJECT_DIR/platforms/$WM_OPTIONS/lib
 # external (ThirdParty) libraries
 export FOAM_EXT_LIBBIN=$WM_THIRD_PARTY_DIR/platforms/$WM_OPTIONS/lib
 
-# default location of site-specific templates etc
-# export WM_PROJECT_SITE=$WM_PROJECT_INST_DIR/site
-
 # shared site executables/libraries
 # similar naming convention as ~OpenFOAM expansion
-export FOAM_SITE_APPBIN=$WM_PROJECT_INST_DIR/site/$WM_PROJECT_VERSION/platforms/$WM_OPTIONS/bin
-export FOAM_SITE_LIBBIN=$WM_PROJECT_INST_DIR/site/$WM_PROJECT_VERSION/platforms/$WM_OPTIONS/lib
+if [ -n "$WM_PROJECT_SITE" ]
+then
+    export FOAM_SITE_APPBIN=$WM_PROJECT_SITE/$WM_PROJECT_VERSION/platforms/$WM_OPTIONS/bin
+    export FOAM_SITE_LIBBIN=$WM_PROJECT_SITE/$WM_PROJECT_VERSION/platforms/$WM_OPTIONS/lib
+else
+    export FOAM_SITE_APPBIN=$WM_PROJECT_INST_DIR/site/$WM_PROJECT_VERSION/platforms/$WM_OPTIONS/bin
+    export FOAM_SITE_LIBBIN=$WM_PROJECT_INST_DIR/site/$WM_PROJECT_VERSION/platforms/$WM_OPTIONS/lib
+fi
 
 # user executables/libraries
 export FOAM_USER_APPBIN=$WM_PROJECT_USER_DIR/platforms/$WM_OPTIONS/bin