FAYETTEVILLE — A construction method rarely used in the United States underpins a new student housing project at the University of Arkansas, Fayetteville. Large panels of wood and glue-laminated wooden beams from a European supplier will form the main structural elements of two five-story halls built to house 710 students, said Daniel Clairmont, the university’s director of engineering and construction. The alternative to steel framing and concrete is expected to add roughly $1.3 million in construction costs to the estimated $79 million project, with UA officials describing it as a way to possibly boost the state’s timber industry should the method — hailed as having benefits that include increased environmental sustainability — catch on widely. “It’s an opportunity to maybe generate interest and kick-start investment,” Clairmont said.