diff --git a/src/db/db/dbHierarchyBuilder.cc b/src/db/db/dbHierarchyBuilder.cc
index 88039a4b4..5dc23833d 100644
--- a/src/db/db/dbHierarchyBuilder.cc
+++ b/src/db/db/dbHierarchyBuilder.cc
@@ -242,7 +242,7 @@ HierarchyBuilder::new_inst (const RecursiveShapeIterator *iter, const db::CellIn
 
     //  for new cells, create this instance
     if (m_cell_stack.back ().first) {
-      db::CellInstArray new_inst = inst;
+      db::CellInstArray new_inst (inst, &mp_target->array_repository ());
       new_inst.object () = db::CellInst (m_cm_entry->second);
       m_cell_stack.back ().second->insert (new_inst);
     }
diff --git a/src/db/unit_tests/dbHierarchyBuilderTests.cc b/src/db/unit_tests/dbHierarchyBuilderTests.cc
index 317b5883f..54bc333d0 100644
--- a/src/db/unit_tests/dbHierarchyBuilderTests.cc
+++ b/src/db/unit_tests/dbHierarchyBuilderTests.cc
@@ -498,3 +498,40 @@ TEST(6_DisjunctLayersPerHierarchyBranch)
   db::compare_layouts (_this, target, tl::testsrc () + "/testdata/algo/hierarchy_builder_au_l4.gds");
 }
 
+TEST(7_DetachFromOriginalLayout)
+{
+  //  using OASIS means we create a lot of references to array
+  //  and shape repo - we check here whether these references get
+  //  translated or resolved in the hierarchy builder.
+  std::auto_ptr<db::Layout> ly (new db::Layout (false));
+  {
+    std::string fn (tl::testsrc ());
+    fn += "/testdata/algo/hierarchy_builder_l5.oas.gz";
+    tl::InputStream stream (fn);
+    db::Reader reader (stream);
+    reader.read (*ly);
+  }
+
+  db::Layout target;
+  db::HierarchyBuilder builder (&target);
+
+  for (db::Layout::layer_iterator li = ly->begin_layers (); li != ly->end_layers (); ++li) {
+
+    unsigned int li1 = (*li).first;
+    unsigned int target_layer = target.insert_layer (*(*li).second);
+    builder.set_target_layer (target_layer);
+
+    db::cell_index_type top_cell_index = *ly->begin_top_down ();
+    db::RecursiveShapeIterator iter (*ly, ly->cell (top_cell_index), li1);
+
+    iter.push (&builder);
+
+  }
+
+  //  make sure there is no connection to original layout
+  ly.reset (0);
+
+  CHECKPOINT();
+  db::compare_layouts (_this, target, tl::testsrc () + "/testdata/algo/hierarchy_builder_au_l5.gds");
+}
+
diff --git a/testdata/algo/hierarchy_builder_au_l5.gds b/testdata/algo/hierarchy_builder_au_l5.gds
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..ecabac16a
Binary files /dev/null and b/testdata/algo/hierarchy_builder_au_l5.gds differ
diff --git a/testdata/algo/hierarchy_builder_l5.gds b/testdata/algo/hierarchy_builder_l5.gds
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..f44e7261f
Binary files /dev/null and b/testdata/algo/hierarchy_builder_l5.gds differ
diff --git a/testdata/algo/hierarchy_builder_l5.oas.gz b/testdata/algo/hierarchy_builder_l5.oas.gz
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..378380678
Binary files /dev/null and b/testdata/algo/hierarchy_builder_l5.oas.gz differ