Card stacker builds big city

A central Iowa man who says he’s the world’s only professional card stacker is constructing an intricate city out of playing cards this weekend at the Science Center of Iowa. Bryan Berg has built card buildings all over the U-S, and in Japan, Germany and Denmark as a full-time card stacker.Berg graduated in 1997 from Iowa State University where he now teaches architecture classes part-time. He says his exhibit at the Science Center in Des Moines will be the subject of many photographs for his upcoming book on card stacking. He wants to show some of the many things that are possible.Berg first entered the Guinness world record book in 1992 at age 17 for a tower 14 feet tall. His latest record is for a structure more than 25 feet tall. He has a unique way of proving to his audiences that his buildings are all assembled using only cards and gravity — with no gluing, taping, folding or notching. He says Sunday he’ll demolish the structure with a leafblower.He says kids don’t need expensive toys to stay entertained, just a deck of cards and a healthy imagination. For more details on his exhibit at the Science Center of Iowa, surf to “www.sciowa.org” or call (515) 274-4138.