diff --git a/src/Mod/Arch/ArchComponent.py b/src/Mod/Arch/ArchComponent.py
index 970088b054..bbd6c616c2 100644
--- a/src/Mod/Arch/ArchComponent.py
+++ b/src/Mod/Arch/ArchComponent.py
@@ -685,6 +685,9 @@ class Component:
         if not obj.Shape.Faces:
             return
         import Drawing,Part
+        fmax = FreeCAD.ParamGet("User parameter:BaseApp/Preferences/Mod/Arch").GetInt("MaxComputeAreas",20)
+        if len(obj.Shape.Faces) > fmax:
+            return
         a = 0
         fset = []
         for i,f in enumerate(obj.Shape.Faces):
diff --git a/src/Mod/Arch/Resources/ui/preferences-arch.ui b/src/Mod/Arch/Resources/ui/preferences-arch.ui
index b032a0b89c..31dd1c4ca5 100644
--- a/src/Mod/Arch/Resources/ui/preferences-arch.ui
+++ b/src/Mod/Arch/Resources/ui/preferences-arch.ui
@@ -6,8 +6,8 @@
    <rect>
     <x>0</x>
     <y>0</y>
-    <width>396</width>
-    <height>689</height>
+    <width>428</width>
+    <height>703</height>
    </rect>
   </property>
   <property name="windowTitle">
@@ -106,6 +106,46 @@
         </item>
        </layout>
       </item>
+      <item>
+       <layout class="QHBoxLayout" name="horizontalLayout_14">
+        <item>
+         <spacer name="horizontalSpacer_9">
+          <property name="orientation">
+           <enum>Qt::Horizontal</enum>
+          </property>
+          <property name="sizeHint" stdset="0">
+           <size>
+            <width>20</width>
+            <height>20</height>
+           </size>
+          </property>
+         </spacer>
+        </item>
+        <item>
+         <widget class="QLabel" name="label_4">
+          <property name="text">
+           <string>Do not compute areas for object with more than:</string>
+          </property>
+         </widget>
+        </item>
+        <item>
+         <widget class="Gui::PrefSpinBox" name="spinBox">
+          <property name="suffix">
+           <string> faces</string>
+          </property>
+          <property name="value">
+           <number>20</number>
+          </property>
+          <property name="prefEntry" stdset="0">
+           <cstring>MaxComputeAreas</cstring>
+          </property>
+          <property name="prefPath" stdset="0">
+           <cstring>Mod/Arch</cstring>
+          </property>
+         </widget>
+        </item>
+       </layout>
+      </item>
      </layout>
     </widget>
    </item>
@@ -578,6 +618,11 @@
  <layoutdefault spacing="6" margin="11"/>
  <pixmapfunction>qPixmapFromMimeSource</pixmapfunction>
  <customwidgets>
+  <customwidget>
+   <class>Gui::PrefSpinBox</class>
+   <extends>QSpinBox</extends>
+   <header>Gui/PrefWidgets.h</header>
+  </customwidget>
   <customwidget>
    <class>Gui::PrefCheckBox</class>
    <extends>QCheckBox</extends>