diff --git a/src/ifcblender/io_import_scene_ifc/__init__.py b/src/ifcblender/io_import_scene_ifc/__init__.py
index 6070b0c8e9..4a9b82ed0c 100644
--- a/src/ifcblender/io_import_scene_ifc/__init__.py
+++ b/src/ifcblender/io_import_scene_ifc/__init__.py
@@ -44,11 +44,15 @@ if "bpy" in locals():
     if "IfcImport" in locals():
         imp.reload(IfcImport)
 
+import sys
 import bpy
 import mathutils
 from bpy.props import StringProperty, IntProperty, BoolProperty
 from bpy_extras.io_utils import ImportHelper
 
+wrong_unicode = sys.platform[0:5] == 'linux' and sys.maxunicode==(2**16-1)
+warned_about_wrong_unicode = False
+
 bpy.types.Object.ifc_id = IntProperty(name="IFC Entity ID",
     description="The STEP entity instance name")
 bpy.types.Object.ifc_guid = StringProperty(name="IFC Entity GUID",
@@ -62,7 +66,7 @@ bpy.types.Object.ifc_type = StringProperty(name="IFC Entity Type",
 def import_ifc(filename, use_names, process_relations):
     from . import IfcImport
     print("Reading %s..."%bpy.path.basename(filename))
-    if not IfcImport.Init(filename):
+    if (wrong_unicode and not IfcImport.InitUCS2(''.join(['\0']+['\0%s'%s for s in filename]+['\0\0']))) or (not wrong_unicode and not IfcImport.Init(filename)):
         return False
     print("Done reading file")
     id_to_object = {}
@@ -205,6 +209,16 @@ class ImportIFC(bpy.types.Operator, ImportHelper):
         default=False)
 
     def execute(self, context):
+        global wrong_unicode,warned_about_wrong_unicode
+        if wrong_unicode and not warned_about_wrong_unicode:
+            warned_about_wrong_unicode = True
+            self.report({'WARNING'},
+                """This addon has been built with a different unicode configuration
+This will result in incorrectly imported text and may result in undefined behaviour
+Additionally it will result in IfcSpaces and IfcOpeningElements being visible by default
+You can use the offical builds from the blender.org website instead
+Sorry for the inconvenience"""
+            )
         if not import_ifc(self.filepath, self.use_names, self.process_relations):
             self.report({'ERROR'},
                 'Unable to parse .ifc file or no geometrical entities found'
diff --git a/src/ifcgeom/IfcGeomObjects.cpp b/src/ifcgeom/IfcGeomObjects.cpp
index 1b227a0b58..6a8990d63a 100644
--- a/src/ifcgeom/IfcGeomObjects.cpp
+++ b/src/ifcgeom/IfcGeomObjects.cpp
@@ -435,6 +435,9 @@ const IfcGeomObjects::IfcGeomObject* IfcGeomObjects::Get() {
 bool IfcGeomObjects::Init(const std::string fn) {
 	return IfcGeomObjects::Init(fn, 0, 0);
 }
+bool IfcGeomObjects::InitUCS2(char* fn) {
+        return IfcGeomObjects::Init(fn+1, 0, 0);
+}
 bool _Init() {
 	shapereps = Ifc::EntitiesByType<Ifc2x3::IfcShapeRepresentation>();
 	if ( ! shapereps ) return false;
diff --git a/src/ifcgeom/IfcGeomObjects.h b/src/ifcgeom/IfcGeomObjects.h
index f24af91d49..6ee2093601 100644
--- a/src/ifcgeom/IfcGeomObjects.h
+++ b/src/ifcgeom/IfcGeomObjects.h
@@ -116,6 +116,7 @@ namespace IfcGeomObjects {
 	};
 
 	bool Init(const std::string fn);
+	bool InitUCS2(char* fn);
 	bool Init(void* data, int len);
 	bool Init(const std::string fn, std::ostream* log1= 0, std::ostream* log2= 0);
 	bool Init(std::istream& f, int len, std::ostream* log1= 0, std::ostream* log2= 0);
diff --git a/src/ifcwrap/Interface.h b/src/ifcwrap/Interface.h
index abdcac6d23..333370ddc1 100644
--- a/src/ifcwrap/Interface.h
+++ b/src/ifcwrap/Interface.h
@@ -49,6 +49,7 @@ namespace IfcGeomObjects {
 	bool Next();
 	const IfcGeomObject* Get();
 	bool Init(const std::string fn);
+	bool InitUCS2(char* fn);
 	void Settings(int setting, bool value);
 	int Progress();
 	const IfcObject* GetObject(int id);