diff --git a/src/bonsai/bonsai/bim/import_ifc.py b/src/bonsai/bonsai/bim/import_ifc.py
index f0e76f6aaa..02f066d3ee 100644
--- a/src/bonsai/bonsai/bim/import_ifc.py
+++ b/src/bonsai/bonsai/bim/import_ifc.py
@@ -428,7 +428,7 @@ class IfcImporter:
 
         rep = representation
         while True:
-            if len(rep.Items) == 1 and rep.Items[0].is_a("IfcMappedItem"):
+            if rep.Items and len(rep.Items) == 1 and rep.Items[0].is_a("IfcMappedItem"):
                 rep_matrix = ifcopenshell.util.placement.get_mappeditem_transformation(rep.Items[0])
                 if not np.allclose(rep_matrix, np.eye(4)):
                     matrix = rep_matrix @ matrix
diff --git a/src/ifcopenshell-python/ifcopenshell/util/representation.py b/src/ifcopenshell-python/ifcopenshell/util/representation.py
index 94ec3f8579..53bf307c17 100644
--- a/src/ifcopenshell-python/ifcopenshell/util/representation.py
+++ b/src/ifcopenshell-python/ifcopenshell/util/representation.py
@@ -294,8 +294,12 @@ def resolve_representation(representation: ifcopenshell.entity_instance) -> ifco
     :param representation: IfcRepresentation
     :return: Representation resolved from mappings
     """
-    if len(representation.Items) == 1 and representation.Items[0].is_a("IfcMappedItem"):
-        return resolve_representation(representation.Items[0].MappingSource.MappedRepresentation)
+    if (
+        len(representation.Items or []) == 1
+        and representation.Items[0].is_a("IfcMappedItem")
+        and (mapped_rep := representation.Items[0].MappingSource.MappedRepresentation)
+    ):
+        return resolve_representation(mapped_rep)
     return representation