Prince Charles has hit out at buildings made of steel, glass and concrete, which he said are not sustainably produced and would be “ripe for demolition” in 40 years.

Speaking at the Institute of Civil Engineers in the week after he received the Driehaus Prize, the prince said:”Buildings are still too often constructed out of materials that are deeply environmentally unfriendly. Glass, steel, concrete surely all fall into that category - because of the embodied energy in their production - especially if they are incorporated into designs that are very much “in the moment.”

“I’m afraid if a building is of a fashionable design today it almost inevitably condemns it very quickly to becoming unfashionable – tired looking, out-dated, no longer “contemporary.” And so, within thirty or forty years, they are ripe for demolition and replacement.”

Angela Brady, RIBA president, defended architects. She told the Daily Telegraph: “Architects and construction professionals throughout Britain are delivering projects that are durable.

“The prince is in danger of attacking those who are already doing so much to improve our environment for future generations.”

Last week Prince Charles was presented with the Driehaus Prize, which is administered by the University of Notre Dame. He donated his prize money to the Prince’s Foundation for Building Community.