diff --git a/src/ifcgeom/IfcGeomFaces.cpp b/src/ifcgeom/IfcGeomFaces.cpp
index 0b5b2e3b8c..b0ea4dd278 100644
--- a/src/ifcgeom/IfcGeomFaces.cpp
+++ b/src/ifcgeom/IfcGeomFaces.cpp
@@ -213,7 +213,15 @@ bool IfcGeom::Kernel::convert(const IfcSchema::IfcFace* l, TopoDS_Shape& face) {
 			process_wire:
 
 				if (face_surface.IsNull()) {
-					mf = new BRepBuilderAPI_MakeFace(wire);
+					if (count(wire, TopAbs_EDGE) > 128) {
+						// tfk: optimization find the underlying surface ourselves since it's going
+						// to be planar in IFC if no explicit surface is given. Should we always do this?
+						gp_Pln pln;
+						approximate_plane_through_wire(wire, pln);
+						mf = new BRepBuilderAPI_MakeFace(pln, wire, true);
+					} else {
+						mf = new BRepBuilderAPI_MakeFace(wire);
+					}
 				} else {
 					/// @todo check necessity of false here
 					mf = new BRepBuilderAPI_MakeFace(face_surface, wire, false); 
diff --git a/src/ifcgeom/IfcGeomFunctions.cpp b/src/ifcgeom/IfcGeomFunctions.cpp
index c9dcc1577e..ffe67d8959 100644
--- a/src/ifcgeom/IfcGeomFunctions.cpp
+++ b/src/ifcgeom/IfcGeomFunctions.cpp
@@ -2838,7 +2838,10 @@ bool IfcGeom::Kernel::wire_intersections(const TopoDS_Wire& wire, TopTools_ListO
 	}
 
 	int n = count(wire, TopAbs_EDGE);
-	if (n < 3) {
+	if (n < 3 || n > 128) {
+		if (n > 128) {
+			Logger::Notice("Too many segments for detection of self-intersections");
+		}
 		wires.Append(wire);
 		return false;
 	}