Yes, they are. They are connected through u-shaped assembly. In vertical design long pipes are trenched deep inside the ground. This layout is used in places where the space around the building is quite limited. If the soil level is shallow for trenching, this design is more suitable. In fact, placing vertical loops does minimal disturbance to the landscape around. The pipes are buried at a distance of 20 feet from each other. The holes are 100 to 400 feet deep. The pipes are connected at the bottom with a U-bend to form a loop. Installing them is more expensive compared to horizontal systems.