diff --git a/cmake/onnxruntime_csharp.cmake b/cmake/onnxruntime_csharp.cmake
index ddd9628ed2..ca9fc9a357 100644
--- a/cmake/onnxruntime_csharp.cmake
+++ b/cmake/onnxruntime_csharp.cmake
@@ -10,3 +10,9 @@ include_external_msproject(${CSHARP_MASTER_TARGET}
                            ${CSHARP_MASTER_PROJECT}
                            onnxruntime   # make it depend on the native onnxruntime project
                            )
+
+# generate Directory.Build.props
+set(DIRECTORY_BUILD_PROPS_COMMENT "WARNING: This is a generated file, please do not check it in!")
+configure_file(${CSHARP_ROOT}/Directory.Build.props.in
+               ${CSHARP_ROOT}/Directory.Build.props
+               @ONLY)
diff --git a/csharp/Directory.Build.props.in b/csharp/Directory.Build.props.in
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..6ba441f9f0
--- /dev/null
+++ b/csharp/Directory.Build.props.in
@@ -0,0 +1,8 @@
+<!-- @DIRECTORY_BUILD_PROPS_COMMENT@ -->
+<Project>
+  <PropertyGroup>
+    <!-- Note: build.py puts the CMake binary directory under an additional directory named for the build
+               configuration, so we want the parent directory here. -->
+    <OnnxRuntimeBuildDirectory>@CMAKE_BINARY_DIR@/..</OnnxRuntimeBuildDirectory>
+  </PropertyGroup>
+</Project>
diff --git a/csharp/sample/Microsoft.ML.OnnxRuntime.InferenceSample/Microsoft.ML.OnnxRuntime.InferenceSample.csproj b/csharp/sample/Microsoft.ML.OnnxRuntime.InferenceSample/Microsoft.ML.OnnxRuntime.InferenceSample.csproj
index d304094666..99cdbfa4ec 100644
--- a/csharp/sample/Microsoft.ML.OnnxRuntime.InferenceSample/Microsoft.ML.OnnxRuntime.InferenceSample.csproj
+++ b/csharp/sample/Microsoft.ML.OnnxRuntime.InferenceSample/Microsoft.ML.OnnxRuntime.InferenceSample.csproj
@@ -4,8 +4,8 @@
     <OutputType>Exe</OutputType>
     <TargetFramework>netcoreapp2.0</TargetFramework>
     <OnnxRuntimeCsharpRoot>..\..</OnnxRuntimeCsharpRoot>
-    <buildDirectory Condition="'$(buildDirectory)'==''">$(OnnxRuntimeCsharpRoot)\..\build\Windows</buildDirectory>
-    <NativeBuildOutputDir>$(buildDirectory)\$(Configuration)\$(Configuration)</NativeBuildOutputDir>
+    <OnnxRuntimeBuildDirectory Condition="'$(OnnxRuntimeBuildDirectory)'==''">$(OnnxRuntimeCsharpRoot)\..\build\Windows</OnnxRuntimeBuildDirectory>
+    <NativeBuildOutputDir>$(OnnxRuntimeBuildDirectory)\$(Configuration)\$(Configuration)</NativeBuildOutputDir>
   </PropertyGroup>
 
   <ItemGroup>
diff --git a/csharp/src/Microsoft.ML.OnnxRuntime/Microsoft.ML.OnnxRuntime.csproj b/csharp/src/Microsoft.ML.OnnxRuntime/Microsoft.ML.OnnxRuntime.csproj
index 1a5e101767..c140478463 100644
--- a/csharp/src/Microsoft.ML.OnnxRuntime/Microsoft.ML.OnnxRuntime.csproj
+++ b/csharp/src/Microsoft.ML.OnnxRuntime/Microsoft.ML.OnnxRuntime.csproj
@@ -18,8 +18,8 @@
     <PackageIconUrl>https://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?linkid=2049168</PackageIconUrl>
     <!--internal build related properties-->
     <OnnxRuntimeCsharpRoot>..\..</OnnxRuntimeCsharpRoot>
-    <buildDirectory Condition="'$(buildDirectory)'==''">$(OnnxRuntimeCsharpRoot)\..\build\Windows</buildDirectory>
-    <NativeBuildOutputDir>$(buildDirectory)\$(Configuration)\$(Configuration)</NativeBuildOutputDir>
+    <OnnxRuntimeBuildDirectory Condition="'$(OnnxRuntimeBuildDirectory)'==''">$(OnnxRuntimeCsharpRoot)\..\build\Windows</OnnxRuntimeBuildDirectory>
+    <NativeBuildOutputDir>$(OnnxRuntimeBuildDirectory)\$(Configuration)\$(Configuration)</NativeBuildOutputDir>
 
     <!-- sourcelink flags -->
     <PublishRepositoryUrl>true</PublishRepositoryUrl>
diff --git a/csharp/test/Microsoft.ML.OnnxRuntime.EndToEndTests/Microsoft.ML.OnnxRuntime.EndToEndTests.csproj b/csharp/test/Microsoft.ML.OnnxRuntime.EndToEndTests/Microsoft.ML.OnnxRuntime.EndToEndTests.csproj
index 6eb14ad8c7..62465677fd 100644
--- a/csharp/test/Microsoft.ML.OnnxRuntime.EndToEndTests/Microsoft.ML.OnnxRuntime.EndToEndTests.csproj
+++ b/csharp/test/Microsoft.ML.OnnxRuntime.EndToEndTests/Microsoft.ML.OnnxRuntime.EndToEndTests.csproj
@@ -6,10 +6,10 @@
     <OnnxRuntimeCsharpRoot>$(MSBuildThisFileDirectory)..\..</OnnxRuntimeCsharpRoot>
     <Platform>AnyCPU</Platform>
     <OutputPath>bin\$(Configuration)\</OutputPath>
-    <buildDirectory Condition="'$(buildDirectory)'==''">$(OnnxRuntimeCsharpRoot)\..\build\Windows</buildDirectory>
-    <ProtocDirectory>$(buildDirectory)\$(Configuration)\external\protobuf\cmake\$(Configuration)</ProtocDirectory>
+    <OnnxRuntimeBuildDirectory Condition="'$(OnnxRuntimeBuildDirectory)'==''">$(OnnxRuntimeCsharpRoot)\..\build\Windows</OnnxRuntimeBuildDirectory>
+    <ProtocDirectory>$(OnnxRuntimeBuildDirectory)\$(Configuration)\external\protobuf\cmake\$(Configuration)</ProtocDirectory>
     <ProtoSrc>$(OnnxRuntimeCsharpRoot)\..\cmake\external\onnx\onnx</ProtoSrc>
-    <NativeBuildOutputDir>$(buildDirectory)\$(Configuration)\$(Configuration)</NativeBuildOutputDir>
+    <NativeBuildOutputDir>$(OnnxRuntimeBuildDirectory)\$(Configuration)\$(Configuration)</NativeBuildOutputDir>
   </PropertyGroup>
 
   <ItemGroup>
@@ -29,8 +29,8 @@
       <CopyToOutputDirectory>Always</CopyToOutputDirectory>
       <Visible>false</Visible>
     </None>
-    
-    <None Include="$(buildDirectory)\models\**\*">
+
+    <None Include="$(OnnxRuntimeBuildDirectory)\models\**\*">
         <CopyToOutputDirectory>Always</CopyToOutputDirectory>
         <Visible>false</Visible>
     </None>
diff --git a/csharp/test/Microsoft.ML.OnnxRuntime.Tests/Microsoft.ML.OnnxRuntime.Tests.csproj b/csharp/test/Microsoft.ML.OnnxRuntime.Tests/Microsoft.ML.OnnxRuntime.Tests.csproj
index 252d3ba783..b4fb8de55d 100644
--- a/csharp/test/Microsoft.ML.OnnxRuntime.Tests/Microsoft.ML.OnnxRuntime.Tests.csproj
+++ b/csharp/test/Microsoft.ML.OnnxRuntime.Tests/Microsoft.ML.OnnxRuntime.Tests.csproj
@@ -6,10 +6,10 @@
     <OnnxRuntimeCsharpRoot>..\..</OnnxRuntimeCsharpRoot>
     <Platform>AnyCPU</Platform>
     <OutputPath>bin\$(Configuration)\</OutputPath>
-    <buildDirectory Condition="'$(buildDirectory)'==''">$(OnnxRuntimeCsharpRoot)\..\build\Windows</buildDirectory>
-    <ProtocDirectory>$(buildDirectory)\$(Configuration)\external\protobuf\cmake\$(Configuration)</ProtocDirectory>
+    <OnnxRuntimeBuildDirectory Condition="'$(OnnxRuntimeBuildDirectory)'==''">$(OnnxRuntimeCsharpRoot)\..\build\Windows</OnnxRuntimeBuildDirectory>
+    <ProtocDirectory>$(OnnxRuntimeBuildDirectory)\$(Configuration)\external\protobuf\cmake\$(Configuration)</ProtocDirectory>
     <ProtoSrc>$(OnnxRuntimeCsharpRoot)\..\cmake\external\onnx\onnx</ProtoSrc>
-    <NativeBuildOutputDir>$(buildDirectory)\$(Configuration)\$(Configuration)</NativeBuildOutputDir>
+    <NativeBuildOutputDir>$(OnnxRuntimeBuildDirectory)\$(Configuration)\$(Configuration)</NativeBuildOutputDir>
   </PropertyGroup>
 
   <ItemGroup>
@@ -37,8 +37,8 @@
       <CopyToOutputDirectory>Always</CopyToOutputDirectory>
       <Visible>false</Visible>
     </None>
-    
-    <None Include="$(buildDirectory)\models\**\*">
+
+    <None Include="$(OnnxRuntimeBuildDirectory)\models\**\*">
         <CopyToOutputDirectory>PreserveNewest</CopyToOutputDirectory>
         <Visible>false</Visible>
     </None>
diff --git a/csharp/tools/Microsoft.ML.OnnxRuntime.PerfTool/Microsoft.ML.OnnxRuntime.PerfTool.csproj b/csharp/tools/Microsoft.ML.OnnxRuntime.PerfTool/Microsoft.ML.OnnxRuntime.PerfTool.csproj
index 32c0a205f5..195a5b0303 100644
--- a/csharp/tools/Microsoft.ML.OnnxRuntime.PerfTool/Microsoft.ML.OnnxRuntime.PerfTool.csproj
+++ b/csharp/tools/Microsoft.ML.OnnxRuntime.PerfTool/Microsoft.ML.OnnxRuntime.PerfTool.csproj
@@ -4,8 +4,8 @@
     <OutputType>Exe</OutputType>
     <TargetFramework>netcoreapp2.0</TargetFramework>
     <OnnxRuntimeCsharpRoot>..\..</OnnxRuntimeCsharpRoot>
-    <buildDirectory Condition="'$(buildDirectory)'==''">$(OnnxRuntimeCsharpRoot)\..\build\Windows</buildDirectory>
-    <NativeBuildOutputDir>$(buildDirectory)\$(Configuration)\$(Configuration)</NativeBuildOutputDir>
+    <OnnxRuntimeBuildDirectory Condition="'$(OnnxRuntimeBuildDirectory)'==''">$(OnnxRuntimeCsharpRoot)\..\build\Windows</OnnxRuntimeBuildDirectory>
+    <NativeBuildOutputDir>$(OnnxRuntimeBuildDirectory)\$(Configuration)\$(Configuration)</NativeBuildOutputDir>
     <SignAssembly>false</SignAssembly>
   </PropertyGroup>