diff --git a/cmake/Modules/Packages/USER-PACE.cmake b/cmake/Modules/Packages/USER-PACE.cmake
index c9e8e1bcfe..008d32444c 100644
--- a/cmake/Modules/Packages/USER-PACE.cmake
+++ b/cmake/Modules/Packages/USER-PACE.cmake
@@ -1,14 +1,26 @@
-set(PACE_EVALUATOR_PATH ${LAMMPS_LIB_SOURCE_DIR}/pace)
-message("CMakeLists.txt DEBUG: PACE_EVALUATOR_PATH=${PACE_EVALUATOR_PATH}")
-set(PACE_EVALUATOR_SRC_PATH ${PACE_EVALUATOR_PATH})
 
-FILE(GLOB PACE_EVALUATOR_SOURCE_FILES ${PACE_EVALUATOR_SRC_PATH}/*.cpp)
-set(PACE_EVALUATOR_INCLUDE_DIR ${PACE_EVALUATOR_SRC_PATH})
+set(PACELIB_URL "https://github.com/ICAMS/lammps-user-pace/archive/refs/tags/v.2021.2.3.tar.gz" CACHE STRING "URL for PACE evaluator library sources")
+set(PACELIB_MD5 "9ebb087cba7e4ca041fde52f7e9e640c" CACHE STRING "MD5 checksum of PACE evaluator library tarball")
+mark_as_advanced(PACELIB_URL)
+mark_as_advanced(PACELIB_MD5)
+
+# download library sources to build folder
+file(DOWNLOAD ${PACELIB_URL} libpace.tar.gz SHOW_PROGRESS EXPECTED_HASH MD5=${PACELIB_MD5})
+
+# uncompress downloaded sources
+execute_process(
+  COMMAND ${CMAKE_COMMAND} -E remove_directory lammps-user-pace*
+  COMMAND ${CMAKE_COMMAND} -E tar xzf libpace.tar.gz
+  WORKING_DIRECTORY ${CMAKE_BINARY_DIR}
+)
 
 
-##### aceevaluator #####
-add_library(aceevaluator ${PACE_EVALUATOR_SOURCE_FILES})
-target_include_directories(aceevaluator PUBLIC ${PACE_EVALUATOR_INCLUDE_DIR})
-target_compile_options(aceevaluator PRIVATE -O2)
-set_target_properties(aceevaluator PROPERTIES OUTPUT_NAME lammps_pace${LAMMPS_MACHINE})
-target_link_libraries(lammps PRIVATE aceevaluator)
\ No newline at end of file
+file(GLOB PACE_EVALUATOR_INCLUDE_DIR ${CMAKE_BINARY_DIR}/lammps-user-pace-*/USER-PACE)
+file(GLOB PACE_EVALUATOR_SOURCES ${CMAKE_BINARY_DIR}/lammps-user-pace-*/USER-PACE/*.cpp)
+list(FILTER PACE_EVALUATOR_SOURCES EXCLUDE REGEX pair_pace.cpp)
+
+add_library(pace STATIC ${PACE_EVALUATOR_SOURCES})
+set_target_properties(pace PROPERTIES OUTPUT_NAME lammps_pace${LAMMPS_MACHINE})
+target_include_directories(pace PUBLIC ${PACE_EVALUATOR_INCLUDE_DIR})
+target_link_libraries(lammps PRIVATE pace)
+