diff --git a/lib/spack/spack/concretize.py b/lib/spack/spack/concretize.py
index 4d1ddf7ac9..c722a5506c 100644
--- a/lib/spack/spack/concretize.py
+++ b/lib/spack/spack/concretize.py
@@ -222,27 +222,29 @@ def concretize_architecture(self, spec):
         DAG has an architecture, then use the root otherwise use the defaults
         on the platform.
         """
-        root_arch = spec.root.architecture
-        sys_arch = spack.spec.ArchSpec(spack.architecture.sys_type())
+        try:
+            # Get the nearest architecture with any fields set
+            nearest = next(p for p in spec.traverse(direction='parents')
+                           if (p.architecture and p is not spec))
+            nearest_arch = nearest.architecture
+        except StopIteration:
+            # Default to the system architecture if nothing set
+            nearest_arch = spack.spec.ArchSpec(spack.architecture.sys_type())
+
         spec_changed = False
 
+        # ensure type safety for the architecture
         if spec.architecture is None:
-            spec.architecture = spack.spec.ArchSpec(sys_arch)
+            spec.architecture = spack.spec.ArchSpec()
             spec_changed = True
 
-        default_archs = list(x for x in [root_arch, sys_arch] if x)
-        for arch in default_archs:
-            if spec.architecture.concrete:
-                break
-
-            replacement_fields = [k for k, v in iteritems(arch.to_cmp_dict())
-                                  if v and not getattr(spec.architecture, k)]
-            for field in replacement_fields:
-                setattr(spec.architecture, field, getattr(arch, field))
-                spec_changed = True
-
-        if not spec.architecture.concrete:
-            raise InsufficientArchitectureInfoError(spec, default_archs)
+        # replace each of the fields (platform, os, target) separately
+        nearest_dict = nearest_arch.to_cmp_dict()
+        replacement_fields = [k for k, v in iteritems(nearest_dict)
+                              if v and not getattr(spec.architecture, k)]
+        for field in replacement_fields:
+            setattr(spec.architecture, field, getattr(nearest_arch, field))
+            spec_changed = True
 
         return spec_changed
 
diff --git a/lib/spack/spack/test/concretize.py b/lib/spack/spack/test/concretize.py
index 7885ca279f..87a4e03b4d 100644
--- a/lib/spack/spack/test/concretize.py
+++ b/lib/spack/spack/test/concretize.py
@@ -1,4 +1,4 @@
-##############################################################################
+#############################################################################
 # Copyright (c) 2013-2017, Lawrence Livermore National Security, LLC.
 # Produced at the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory.
 #
@@ -31,6 +31,7 @@
 from spack.spec import Spec, CompilerSpec
 from spack.spec import ConflictsInSpecError, SpecError
 from spack.version import ver
+from spack.test.conftest import MockPackage, MockPackageMultiRepo
 
 
 def check_spec(abstract, concrete):
@@ -204,6 +205,42 @@ def test_different_compilers_get_different_flags(self):
         assert set(client.compiler_flags['fflags']) == set(['-O0'])
         assert not set(cmake.compiler_flags['fflags'])
 
+    def test_architecture_inheritance(self):
+        """test_architecture_inheritance is likely to fail with an
+        UnavailableCompilerVersionError if the architecture is concretized
+        incorrectly.
+        """
+        spec = Spec('cmake-client %gcc@4.7.2 os=fe ^ cmake')
+        spec.concretize()
+        assert spec['cmake'].architecture == spec.architecture
+
+    def test_architecture_deep_inheritance(self):
+        """Make sure that indirect dependencies receive architecture
+        information from the root even when partial architecture information
+        is provided by an intermediate dependency.
+        """
+        saved_repo = spack.repo
+
+        default_dep = ('link', 'build')
+
+        bazpkg = MockPackage('bazpkg', [], [])
+        barpkg = MockPackage('barpkg', [bazpkg], [default_dep])
+        foopkg = MockPackage('foopkg', [barpkg], [default_dep])
+        mock_repo = MockPackageMultiRepo([foopkg, barpkg, bazpkg])
+
+        spack.repo = mock_repo
+
+        try:
+            spec = Spec('foopkg %clang@3.3 os=CNL target=footar' +
+                        ' ^barpkg os=SuSE11 ^bazpkg os=be')
+            spec.concretize()
+
+            for s in spec.traverse(root=False):
+                assert s.architecture.target == spec.architecture.target
+
+        finally:
+            spack.repo = saved_repo
+
     def test_compiler_flags_from_user_are_grouped(self):
         spec = Spec('a%gcc cflags="-O -foo-flag foo-val" platform=test')
         spec.concretize()
@@ -216,6 +253,7 @@ def concretize_multi_provider(self):
         assert s['mpi'].version == ver('1.10.3')
 
     def test_concretize_two_virtuals(self):
+
         """Test a package with multiple virtual dependencies."""
         Spec('hypre').concretize()