Construction system and method and related articles

1. A furniture unit comprising at least one substrate having a base layer and a laminate layer, wherein the base layer has an upper surface, a lower surface opposite the upper surface, a proximal peripheral surface extending from the upper surface to the lower surface, a distal peripheral surface opposite the proximal peripheral surface and extending from the upper surface to the lower surface, a first seam, and a second seam spaced apart from the first seam, the first and second seams extending in a direction parallel to the proximal peripheral surface, wherein the laminate layer is disposed on one of the upper surface or the lower surface and includes a channel exposing a portion of the base layer, and wherein the proximal peripheral surface is disposed within the channel and engages the portion of the base layer such that the substrate defines a first hollow support.

2. The furniture unit of claim 1 , wherein the upper surface engages the lower surface.

3. The furniture unit of claim 1 , wherein the distal peripheral surface is aligned with a portion of the upper surface.

4. The furniture unit of claim 3 , wherein the distal peripheral surface is coplanar with the portion of the upper surface.

5. The furniture unit of claim 1 , wherein the distal peripheral surface engages the lower surface such that the substrate defines a second hollow support.

6. The furniture unit of claim 1 , wherein the distal peripheral surface is coplanar with the proximal peripheral surface.

7. The furniture unit of claim 1 , wherein the distal peripheral surface faces a first direction and the proximal peripheral surface faces a second direction opposite the first direction.

8. The furniture unit of claim 1 , wherein the distal peripheral surface faces a first direction and the proximal peripheral surface faces the first direction.

9. The furniture unit of claim 1 , wherein a first portion of the upper surface engages a second portion of the upper surface.

10. The furniture unit of claim 9 , wherein the first portion of the upper surface is attached to the second portion of the upper surface.

11. The furniture unit of claim 1 , wherein the substrate further comprises a third seam spaced apart from the first and second seams, and a fourth seam spaced apart from the first, second, and third seams, the third and fourth seams extending in a direction parallel to the distal peripheral surface, and wherein a portion of the upper surface defines a multi-sided shape extending between at least three of the first, second, third, and fourth seams.

12. The furniture unit of claim 11 , wherein the multi-sided shape defines a portion of one of a hexagon, an octagon, or a decagon.

13. The furniture unit of claim 12 , wherein the multi-sided shape defines an arc.

14. The furniture unit of claim 11 , wherein a portion of the lower surface defines a multi-sided shape extending between at least three of the first, second, third, and fourth seams.

15. The furniture unit of claim 14 , wherein the portion of the lower surface is parallel to the portion of the upper surface.

16. The furniture unit of claim 1 , further comprising

a second substrate defining a second hollow support; and

a splice disposed within the first hollow support and the second hollow support.

17. A furniture unit comprising at least one substrate having:

an upper surface;

a lower surface opposite the upper surface;

a proximal peripheral surface extending from the upper surface to the lower surface and engaging the lower surface such that the substrate defines a first hollow support;

a distal peripheral surface opposite the proximal peripheral surface and extending from the upper surface to the lower surface, the distal peripheral surface engaging the lower surface such that the substrate defines a second hollow support;

wherein the first hollow support includes a first seam, a second seam, a third seam, a fourth seam, and a fifth seam, each of the first, second, third, fourth, and fifth seams being spaced apart from the others of the first, second, third, fourth, and fifth seams and extending in a direction parallel to the proximal peripheral surface, and

wherein the upper surface includes a first portion, extending from the first seam to the second seam, a second portion extending from the second seam to the third seam, a third portion extending from the third seam to the fourth seam, and a fourth portion extending from the fourth seam to the fifth seam, the first portion and the second portion defining a first angle therebetween, the second portion and the third portion defining a second angle therebetween, and the third portion and the fourth portion defining a third angle therebetween, the third angle being equal to the first angle and the second angle.

18. The furniture unit of claim 17 , wherein the proximal peripheral surface engages one of the distal peripheral surface, the upper surface, or the lower surface.

19. The furniture unit of claim 17 , wherein the upper surface defines a portion of one of a hexagon, an octagon, or a decagon.

20. The furniture unit of claim 19 , wherein the upper surface defines an arc.

21. The furniture unit of claim 17 , wherein a portion of the lower surface defines a multi-sided shape extending between at least three of the first, second, third, and fourth seams.

22. The furniture unit of claim 21 , wherein the portion of the lower surface is parallel to the portion of the upper surface.

23. The furniture unit of claim 17 , wherein the first hollow support includes a sixth seam, the upper surface including a fifth portion extending from the fifth seam to the sixth seam, the fourth portion and the fifth portion defining a fourth angle therebetween, the fourth angle being equal to the first angle, the second angle, and the third angle.