A group of engineers and students at the University of Michigan have created the world’s largest freestanding, hand-solvable Rubik’s cube,* and it only took years of their lives.

Installed on the second floor of the college’s GG Brown building, the giant cube was created by a group of seven students who have come to be known as the “Sublime Seven.” According to ABC 7, the giant toy replica was created with over 1,500 pounds of aluminium and steel.

Creating the large scale plaything turned out to be much more difficult than they’d anticipated, and the four students who originally started the project actually graduated before it was finished, requiring three more students to come on and assist. The original idea came from the lead engineer, Samuelina Wright who had played with a Rubik’s cube as a child. Wright, who teared up during the unveiling of the piece, even delayed a confirmed post-graduation job with Boeing to finish the cube.

Plans are in the works to build a gazebo or similar structure where the cube can be permanently displayed outdoors, for all to see and, maybe, solve.

*Correction: The Rubik’s cube is not, as the article previously stated, the world’s largest hand-solvable Rubik’s cube, which you can look at here. The headline has also been updated.