Bjarke Ingels, a Danish architect, has won the European Prize for Architecture, his company announced here on Friday.

The prize will be formally awarded in Madrid, capital of Spain, on Nov. 5 at a Gala Diner, where Ingels will give a lecture preceding the dinner.

Ingels' company, Bjarke Ingels Group (BIG), is the architect team behind the Danish pavilion at the 2010 Shanghai Expo. However, there are other official reasons for Ingels to win the prize.

"He advocates for architecture to be taught in public schools alongside science and mathematics. He has broken Denmark's good- old boy network challenging a constipated establishment to think outside a boring box. He is challenging Europe's mundane status quo," said a BIG press release sent to Xinhua via email on Friday.

"He is also a leading force in Europe's Green Architecture movement producing astonishing and exemplary works of sustainable design. He has inspired Europe's emerging young generation -- of which he is a part -- to push for new architecture beyond the pale fringe," it added.

The European Prize for Architecture is established as a collaborative effort between the European Center for Architecture Art Design and Urban Studies and the Chicago Athenaeum. The purpose of the Prize is to honor a living architect whose built work demonstrates vision and talent, or a body of work that has significant contributions to art and humanity.

Apart from the Danish pavilion at the Expo 2010, Ingels' works can also be seen in Shenzhen of China and Mexico City. Ingels has also designed a proposal for a People's Building in Shanghai. The building is shaped as the Chinese character for human or "Ren."