diff --git a/pygenn/genn_model.py b/pygenn/genn_model.py
index ce6d1bdccd..6d1bd84f2f 100644
--- a/pygenn/genn_model.py
+++ b/pygenn/genn_model.py
@@ -40,10 +40,12 @@
 """
 # python imports
 from collections import namedtuple, OrderedDict
+from distutils.spawn import find_executable
 from importlib import import_module
-from os import path
+from os import path, environ
 from platform import system
 from psutil import cpu_count
+from setuptools import msvc
 from subprocess import check_call  # to call make
 from textwrap import dedent
 from warnings import warn
@@ -85,6 +87,24 @@
     else:
         backend_modules[b] = m
 
+# If we're on windows
+if system() == "Windows":
+    # Get environment and cache in class, convertings
+    # all keys to upper-case for consistency
+    _msvc_env = msvc.msvc14_get_vc_env("x86_amd64")
+    _msvc_env = {k.upper(): v for k, v in iteritems(_msvc_env)}
+    
+    # Update process's environment with this
+    # **NOTE** this handles both child processes (manually launching msbuild)
+    # and stuff within this process (running the code generator)
+    environ.update(_msvc_env)
+    
+    # Find MSBuild in path
+    # **NOTE** we need to do this because setting the path via 
+    # check_call's env kwarg does not effect finding the executable
+    # **NOTE** shutil.which would be nicer, but isn't in Python < 3.3
+    _msbuild = find_executable("msbuild",  _msvc_env["PATH"])
+
 GeNNType = namedtuple("GeNNType", ["np_dtype", "assign_ext_ptr_array", "assign_ext_ptr_single"])
 
 class GeNNModel(object):
@@ -590,7 +610,7 @@ def build(self, path_to_model="./", force_rebuild=False):
 
         # Build code
         if system() == "Windows":
-            check_call(["msbuild", "/p:Configuration=Release", "/m", "/verbosity:minimal",
+            check_call([_msbuild, "/p:Configuration=Release", "/m", "/verbosity:minimal",
                         path.join(output_path, "runner.vcxproj")])
         else:
             check_call(["make", "-j", str(cpu_count(logical=False)), "-C", output_path])