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From the manual and from what I have been able to read elsewhere, I understand that these are essentially planetary repair facilities.

However, I note that their construction can be automated. What would be the purpose in that unless...

My question is this: are they indeed terraforming facilities, which, over time either change the planet's nature to your desired one (say, for example, desert to continental for humans) or do they perhaps increase the planet's quality in another way?

The short answer is "no".
The terraforming facility will only repair a damaged planet back to its original state after it has been damaged.

^^ This.

They are essentially worthless as planets repair themselves anyway.
By building one you are paying a lump sum plus an ongoing cost to get something you'd get anyway, the only difference being you get it slightly quicker.
I suppose it might be useful as is to clean up a completely bombed out world, but that's such a marginal situation it's not worth having a building designed solely around mitgating it.

Personally I'd swap the planet repair with the racial ability for the Ikurro, so terraforming actually improves planets (for everyone) and the bears still have an environmental flavour.
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Thanks again.